Mistake
by The Temporarily Gone Girl
Summary: Lila was one of the biggest mistakes Nikola made. She loved him - and he hurt her. So, when she shows up covered in blood and really, everything goes wrong, it's just a normal day for her. But this time, it has gone too far. When they find themselves on a battlefield for sanity, can they all win? Rating changed to M for violence and language.
1. Different

**IMPORTANT - My author's notes are divided into two categories. IMPORTANT and ANs. If you like the story, I'd suggest you read the 'IMPORTANT' ones and read the ANs if you feel like it. These will have things like update dates, and important things about the story. Thanks! This chapter will make more sense once Chapter Two is up, by the way. It will all make sense soon. Very T, by the way, and kind of sick and twisted, so if that bothers you...**

**AN: So, I wrote this while I was sick... I'm not really sure if you'll like it or not, but please tell me what you thought. I'm kind of nervous about this one for some reason... :0**

Different

A special branch of the government got too interested in Abnormals. Helen investigated. Nikola came with her. they found the base, and now it was under their control. Nikola and Helen began searching the labs. In the first lab, they found her. The girl he thought he'd never see again.

The bright, harsh, white light did nothing to disguise the blood that was all over her. Her lips twitched upward when she saw him, but she didn't speak. The dead scientist at her feet indicated all of the blood was not hers.

"Lila," he managed in a horse voice.

She grinned. "Nikola."

A surge of emotions came over him. The first and foremost was the urge to apologize over and over again, and sympathy, and guilt. It felt awkward, with Helen standing right next to him. He could see Lila's eyes flicking to her briefly. Then, there was an emotion which he tried his best to suppress. It was the all too familiar urge to wrap his arms around her and kiss her until he forgot everything else.

"I don't believe we've been introduced," Helen said warily.

"But I'm guessing you're The Great Helen," Lila drawled.

Nikola's eyes snapped off the floor. He said without thinking, "I never told you her name."

The grin to turned to a sad smile. "You talk in your sleep. Other times, too."

Helen put her hands on her hips. Too many questions. How did she know Nikola? How did she know what he said in his sleep... That question was answered easily enough by the way he was trying not to stare at her. Also, it wasn't comforting to know he said her name in his sleep. "Explanation, Nikola?"

Nikola looked at her with a flash of annoyance that said, 'I'm not a dog, don't talk to me like one'. then he turned back to Lila, a determined but sad look on his face. "This is Lila. One of the biggest mistakes I made. And nothing I say is going to make it alright." He wasn't looking at Helen. He wasn't talking to Helen. He was talking to and looking at Lila. "She got caught up in something she never should have and I will always regret it."

Lila's brown eyes lit up in anger. straight black hair shook a little as she stood up straighter. "I'm sick and tired of your apologies." she growled.

Helen watched, perplexed, for a moment; before deciding on the wisest course of action. "Well, ah, I have to check the other labs." She silently reminded herself to talk to Will when they got back.

When she was gone, Nikola spoke quietly. "I know."

"Do you know why?" She stepped closer to him. "Because they make me trust you. And then everything falls apart, like it always does."

"I know." There was a long bitter silence. "Why are you here?" he finally asked.

"Why does anything happen to me? You. It turns out I spent enough time with you before Rome to snag the attention of the government. They think I knew your failed plans. Fortunately for you, I wasn't smart enough to understand them." She cast her eyes down.

Before he knew what he was doing, his arms were around her. "Liar," he whispered affectionately.

She pushed away. "not smart enough to understand them is true. I just helped you actually do it. So, how's the world domination going? Or has the saintly Dr Magnus talked you out of that one?"

"Lila, this time is different." Nikola sighed.

"It's always different," she rolled her eyes. "But we always end up the same place. Or have you got your girlfriend now?" Her words were like daggers, and he winced.

"This time it'll end up right," he insisted. "That's a promise."

Suddenly, her voice broke. "Nothing ever ends up right." She was fighting back sobs. "I hate you, you know that?"

"I know," he answered quietly. They sank down onto a chair, and once he held her close to him in his arms, she began crying uncontrollably. "I care about you Lila. That's why we're not going to end up in the same place again. I'm not going to hurt you again." he said.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," she whispered, then kissed him suddenly. He felt her hot tears on his face. He tried to push away. Lila, don't -"

"You hurt me every moment of every day," she whispered.

**AN: The author would appreciate your continued support, as Fanfiction says.**


	2. Mistake

**IMPORTANT - this chapter is all flashbacks.**

**AN: Thanks to Hannah Kelfrod, and to alleviate any confusions, Lila is not a vampire, nor an expirement... This chapter should explain it all.**

Mistakes

_When he cousin disappeared in connection to a mysterious 'black market', Lila knew something was wrong. Little did she know Abnormals were the cause. Apparently her cousin got on the wrong side of a deal. Desperate to find answers, she got mixed up in it. Then she ended up helping Tesla with his little 'expirements'. _

_*.*_

_"What do you want?" The vampire asked warily. It wasn't exactly every day a beautiful young woman stepped into his office, which happened to be secreted away underground._

_"Some guys have been hassling me. From what I gather, you've had trouble with them too." The words rolled off her tongue smoothly. "The Cabal."_

_He suddenly realized he had been watching her mouth very closely. "Abnormals then," he said._

_She nodded. "I want a partnership of sorts. I help you, and you help me by not letting them catch me. You seem to be pretty good at it yourself."_

_He smiled. "You have a deal. Assuming you have no problem with world domination."_

_*.*_

_"Bad day?" She guessed by the sheer amount of empty wine bottles. That, and the fact he was sitting hunched in a corner staring at the floor. Pouring herself a glass of wine, she came to sit by him. "It never ceases to surprise me that you don't get drunk."_

_He stared at his hands._

_"Who is it?" she asked eventually, in a small voice._

_"What?" he asked._

_"The girl you're mooning about," she said, sipping the red wine._

_He laughed quickly. "I haven't seen her in over 60 years." He frowned at Lila. His 'assistant' always made a point of _not _drinking around him. He tried very hard not to think about why. It complicated things._

_"True love then."_

_He wondered if the wine was already starting to kick in._

_"Does she love you?"_

_"No. At least, I..." he didn't know what to say. He always tried to convince himself that she did, it hurt to say 'no'._

_She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, but then quickly left the room._

_*.*_

_It was on another day, when she was much drunker, that she told him. "Nikola, I need to talk to you." She walked into his room._

_He turned up from the equations he had been writing. "What is it?"_

_She sat down opposite him, on the other side of the desk. "I love you," was all she said._

_When he didn't respond immediately, she went on. "I know you don't love me, but... Nikola..." Before he could say one word, she was moving around the desk. Her hands were holding either side of his face, her lips were pressed against his. When he pulled back, she said, "She's not here. I am."_

_It was later, when she weas lying in his arms, not saying a word, that he broke her heart. He was trying not to, but that made it hurt more. "I love you," he whispered._

_She almost choked. How many times had she wanted to hear him say those very words? But something inside was cold, hollow. No matter how passionately he kissed her, it always felt empty. Something else was breaking, slowly and painfully, every time he lied. Then there was the part that took control, which only wanted him to lie more and kiss her again - the part which didn't believe him and didn't care. _

_"I love you," she said._

_When she woke up, he was in the lab. She pushed herself up on one elbow. Then, softly, she began to cry. "I love you."_

_When she came down, unsurprisingly he was drinking. "Lila," he said without looking at her. _

_There was a silence. She shivered slightly. It was cold in the lab._

_"This is where it gets complicated," he said softly. Looking straight at her hurt, but he did it anyway._

_"No." she neared him, expression unreadable. "This is where it gets real simple. Because, maybe I know something you don't. I know you don't love me, never have... and never will. I know that every minute of last night was a lie." She was trying so hard to hold together. Trying not to tighten the grip she didn't realize she had on his arms. Trying not to cry. She was shattering the gentle, tender world of lies that she had tried to believe in last night. Like a piece of glass, once it was shattered it would never be whole again._

_He was never going to hold her in his arms like that again, never going to believe he loved her. His eyes widened. She was shattering his world too._

_"Here's the simple bit. I don't care." She waited. She waited for the feel of his lips against hers, the pull of his arms around her waist._

_Soon, he was kissing her. He felt hot as his hand came around the back of her head, through her already tangled hair. Then, she felt the wall against her back. She tried to remember, _I don't care. I don't care he doesn't love me. _But she couldn't stop herself from whispering, "I love you."_

_*.*_

_"It's over," she said, stepping into his room._

_He looked up. "I've always said it's your choise."_

_Though his words were kind, she winced. It reminded her that she had kissed him, she had said she didn't care. It reminded her that she had shattered his frail hope which was that maybe he did love her. It reminded her that she had pushed love out of it long ago. It also reminded her that she had said this before. 'It's over. I'm leaving.' It always ended the same way - on the bed. "I'll take my chances wit hthe Cabal," she said steadily._

_He nodded. Each time he acted as if he believed her. He waited._

_"They're after you too, you know. Your girlfriend is in Rome, lecturing." He d idn't bother to ask how she knew, and she went on. "I suggest you forget about me, and go and get her help._

_Thsi part was new. He watched her intently now._

_"I mean it," she said. "Go to Rome. Threaten her, kiss her, whatever it takes - just do it." she blinked._

_He managed one small nod. "Lila," he said as she stepped out of the door. She waited, and their eyes met. "Good luck."_

_She grinned, then saluted. "You too, soldier."_

_He smiled sadly, then saluted back to the empty space._


	3. Not Lonely

**AN: This chapter is so sad to me... Thanks to Hannah Kelfrod. **

Not Lonely

He'd had to tell Helen. When they got back to the Sanctuary, she'd demanded an explanation. he'd told her everything. Everything, that was, which was his to tell.

He'd told her that her name was Lila. She'd gotten in trouble with the Cabal, and had 'assisted' him with his experiments. Helen pursed her lips at this, but didn't comment. Nikola looked her straight in the eye. In very blunt words, he told her exactly what had happened between him and Lila. He didn't fill in the exact details, Helen was thankful. He didn't tell her Lila had been the one to take love out of the question. he didn't tell her that Lila had been the one to tell him to go to Rome. He didn't tell her that Lila had been fascinated - a little too fascinated - by his experiments. He pushed away the eerie memory away.

He did, surprisingly, tell her a couple of the more embarrassing facts - such as the fact Lila had been drunk when she told him she loved him.

She stared at him. He said nothing for a moment, then, "I'm telling you this so you understand, not because I'm proud of what happened."

As she stood up, she pushed her chair back a little too forcefully. It crashed into a filing cabinet with a metallic horrible crash. "I understand," she said angrily. "I always knew you were a flirtatious bastard, I just didn't know you'd let it go that far with a girl who wasn't smart enough to stay away."

His protests and explanations fell on empty air as the door swung shut. He was standing alone in her lab.

Then her head popped back through the clear glass door. "Get out," she said. She came through. "Get out I don't want you in my lab."

"Helen," he tried to protest, explain.

"Get out!" she yelled. She didn't want to see his face, she had seen a part of him she hadn't seen quite so clearly before. _yes, _she clenched her fist. _Flirtatious bastard was the exact phrase. _It made her angry that a man who she considered her friend would be that... 'that much of a jerk' would be how Ashley would have phrased it. That thought - thinking of Ashley always did - made her calm, but sad. She walked back to her desk in silence.

*.*

Nikola found his way to her room without thinking. It was, in fact, the last place he should be - or wanted to be. There was a part of him, however, which very much wanted to be there.

The door swung open silently, leaving a retreating shadow in its wake. Lila looked up. She was sitting on her bed with a loose looking shirt and jeans on, hair damp. _Shower,_ he guessed. He pushed the thought away, displeased that he had immediately assessed her appearance.

"Nikola." she didn't surprised, but cool and resigned. "I heard her yelling," she said in a softer voice. She put down the comb she had been using.

"Well, that's my fault for being a..." he decided not to use Helen's exact words and, as if by default, sat down by Lila.

"Flirtatious bastard?" she grinned. "You always were."

He sighed, then grinned as well and leaned closer. "Really? I never heard you complain."

"She just doesn't appreciate how fun flirtatious bastards are," she laughed.

"I think you're right," he was beginning to forget about his mood the moment before.

Before he had realized it, he was laughing and joking with Lila. His arm had somehow come around her waist and her wet hairs was on his shoulder. He realized, too, that they were flirting.

"Don't you know I'm right about everything?" she tossed her head in mock arrogance.

"You weren't right about the tomato being a fruit," he teased.

She threw the comb at him. "That's not funny!"

"It was very funny," he started to get up as she fumed, laughing.

One April Fool's Day before she left, he'd come into the lab with something red in his hand. _"Fruit or vegetable?" he grinned, showing her what looked like a tomato. _

_"Fruit," she stared up from the papers she'd been looking over._

_"Wrong." he threw a soft red ball to her. She blinked - she hadn't been looking closely. "This is the red object of temptation," he smirked. Taped to the bottom was a note. _

_'Idiot', it read. 'Happy April Fool's Day'. Then, at the bottom, 'xxx-catch me'._

_He grinned, a flash of mischief on his face, and then disappeared. She made a sort of squeak, then began to chase him._

Once they had gone around the room once, her telling him to 'stop bringing that up', they collapsed on the bed. Her face fell for a moment. "That was one of the few times we were actually happy, wasn't it?" She hadn't meant to say the words out loud, but it was too late to take them back now.

"Yes," he answered. He looked away. "When we weren't lonely." He hadn't meant to say that, either.

"The whole point was not to be lonely," she said, almost without emotion.

"But it didn't help, did it?" he answered. They hadn't been this honest for... a long time.

"Nikola," she whispered. "I'm not lonely now, not with you here."

With a start, he realized the same was true. He wasn't feeling lonely - here, with her. He pushed away other thoughts. All he could focus on were her lips, coming closer and closer. Closing around his, and then he felt her closer too him, pressed up against him. He felt them both falling towards the bed.

_Just one more broken promise,_ he thought.


	4. Breaking

**AN: This chapter is sad. I'm such a bad person for writing it. Be forewarned, I'm trying not to cry right now. Thanks to Hannah Kelfrod... get ready for more heartbreak.**

Breaking

When she woke up, she was surprised to find him still there. She was lying close to him, and she shifted slightly to look at him.

He blinked at her, and she could almost hear him saying, 'yes?'

She almost laughed at how clearly she imagined what he was thinking. She looked away and prepared to slip out of his arms. But before she did, he tightened his grip. "Lila," he murmured.

She closed her eyes. It felt better to be close to him than she knew the cold air would feel. It also felt better than the sick, empty feeling she would get once she was alone. "Mm," she answered vaguely.

"Don't go," she could feel his breath on the back of her neck.

"I thought that was your speciality," the words slipped out of her mouth, unfair as they were. She had done her fair share of leaving - and had been about to leave. "I'm sorry," she sighed.

"You're right," his voice was heavy. "You're always right. This will never end well."

It felt different to hear him say it. Even as his arms were still around her, she felt like he was slipping away. _I don't care,_ she repeated.

His next words came as a shock. "Let me love you."

"What?" she twisted around to face him.

"Let me make this right!" he said, voice sounding somehow urgent. "Let me take you away from here, away from Helen, away from labs and experiments and loneliness. Can't..." he paused, drawing a breath. "Can't we try to make it right?"

His words resounded in her mind, ringing again and again in her ears. _Let me love you. Let me love you. _

She wanted to get up, to run away from him and not have to face this. Not have to face love anymore. her love for Nikola had been what had gotten into this in the first place. That, a bottle of wine, Helen's absence, and that they didn't care about love. If he put love into the question, it would be a lie - and it would inevitably break her heart.

"No." was the only word which could get past her lips.

"Lila, this feels so right-" he wasn't going to give up that easily, not when she was that close - "Last night, laughing, being like actual people, we weren't lonely. We felt close, Lila, and I want that. I want to know you, really know you - love you."

He was acting like it was was her fault there had never been more. Maybe it was, for being so afraid of getting hurt. She looked him straight in the eye. She saw hope there. Frail hope. For a moment, she thought she could look at him forever. Soar up on the wings of that frail hope, stay forever in those blue depths.

Pain was all that showed in her eyes. She hated this - hated everything, hated what she was about to do. Lila was about to crush his frail hope. "No."

Without another word, Nikola was gone. The door clicked shut, and she was alone. She was also cold, she realized, and drew the covers closer. Immediately, Lila wanted to call him back, to start sobbing and tell him, why, why she could never open that door. She wanted desperately to change her mind, go far away with him.

But she didn't. She stayed there, black hair splayed out on the pillow and softly, began to cry. She knew this feeling. The feeling she'd felt when Nikola said Helen's name in his sleep. When she'd told him the first time that she didn't care. When she'd told him the first time she didn't care. All of those times she had felt empty, hollow, _alone. _Not when she'd left him - then she'd felt a sort of strong.

That strength was gone now, and she couldn't do anything but lie there, sobbing gently.

"No," she whispered over and over again, the harsh yet somehow gentle noise echoing through the cold room. "No. No. No." It kept coming, until the tears cut it off.

She knew this feeling. This was the feeling of breaking.


	5. Dinner at 7

**AN: Happier chapter! Thanks Hannah Kelfrod!**

Dinner at 7

She was still feeling like crying to tell the truth. but she couldn't, not in front of Lapdog. Lila knew she shouldn't call him that even in her head. But ever since she had got to the Sanctuary, he had been acting like Helen's Lapdog.

Lila was sitting across a desk from Will - or Lapdog, as she preferred to call him. She knew he was giving her some kind of therapy pep talk, but endured it anyway. She didn't need therapy.

Who was she kidding? Anyone who knew half of the details of her and Nikola's 'relationship' knew as well as she did that she needed therapy - serious therapy. She didn't personally see the point.

"Yes, I had a very happy childhood," she snapped. Lila knew that he had just asked her a completely different question, but didn't care. She was getting impatient. _Impatient to do what, mope in your room?_ she thought wryly. _There's nothing left to do._

"Ookay," Will said, tapping his fingers against the desk. _Testy on subject of childhood. Possible hidden trauma,_ he thought, disregarding her words completely.

"My parents were happily married, I had a sister, and that's the end of it," Lila groaned.

"Your parents never quarrelled?" Will asked.

"Err,' Lila tried to remember. "A couple of times, I guess." If he was going to continue, she might as well help it be quick.

"About what?" Lapdog pressed.

Lila sighed. "Once, I think it was about a shirt my sister wore to Church. Once it was about moving to a bigger city for my Dad's new job." She said indifferently.

"You went to Church?" Will sat back, momentarily surprised.

Lila sighed again. "Yes."

"And moved around." She could almost hear him ticking two 'childhood trauma' boxes off in his head. She rolled her eyes. "Dr Zimmerman, really, as much as I am enjoying our little session-"

"Your sister was distant," he said suddenly.

She frowned as he continued. "You felt you had to be better at what she did than she was."

"Great," she exhaled deeply, leaning back in the chair. "Now I sound like your perfectly misunderstood school kid.

"And we haven't even started on your relationship with Tesla," Will smiled.

"Sorry, I don't feel like being simplified - or complicated - and labelled as one of your perfect little cases." She shoved the chair back.

"Stay," Will said pleasantly. "So, what was your sister better at than you?"

"Not a lot," Lila smirked, still standing. "I didn't want to be like my sister, Mr I Think I Know It All."

"Your sister was a little too friendly," Will guessed carefully.

her words were sharp. "Yes, my sister was a slut. Now I really am sick of you making me a picture perfect therapy-ee or whatever you call them." she spoke the first words matter-of-factly and turned to leave.

Will stood stunned for a minute after she'd left. It wasn't so much that he was shocked Lila had said that - it was easy enough to imagine that - it was the way she'd said it. Indifferent. Lila was indifferent to everything and everyone - except Nikola. Slowly, pieces of a very complicated picture were coming together. He didn't like the picture any more than Lila did. Was that why she was so indifferent, trying to be indifferent to herself? Another thought struck him. Simplified - or complicated. Was the picture, really, very simple?

*.*

When Lila walked out of the room, fuming, she ran straight into Nikola. he didn't show any signs of their conversation earlier. Will, who was standing unseen in his door frame watching, thought his eyes might have looked red.

"Lila," he greeted her coolly.

"Nikola," her response was even stiffer. "I wanted you to know something." he continued smoothly.

Something about the uniform, non-committal, tone of his voice make her freeze suddenly. A flash came to her - a snake in the grass, winding through the stalks until the time came to strike. Was he about to strike back, make her pay for what she'd said this morning; with a cool, deft turn of words?

"I'm not giving up," the words came unexpectedly and softly.

"What?" the single, unobtrusive, word caught in her throat.

"No promises this time." his warm, comforting hands came to rest on his shoulders. "But I'm not giving up either. I saw you after I left."

_No. No. No. _The words still echoed in her ears. That was precisely the side of her he wasn't supposed to see. He'd seen her basically having an emotional breakdown.

Concern was in his eyes, she realized. She didn't like it, it made her feel... a way which she couldn't quite put her finger on. _Loved? _She pushed the thought away. "I... see." The words sounded uncertain, as if afraid ice would break under their weight.

Lila wanted nothing more than to take back everything since that morning and have him hold her close again, but he didn't. Instead he flashed a shy smile. "No promises, but Lila? Don't try and talk me out of this... and meet me at 7 for dinner."

Her mouth almost dropped open once he was gone, a cold breeze taking his place. _Dating? A date?_ Just why was that so strange, she wondered.

Will said from the doorframe, "Interesting."

She spun around. "Keep out of it Lapdog," Lila almost snarled. He shrugged, then walked away. She really needed therapy. _Wait, Lapdog?_

**AN: If you read it give me a darn review. =D Thanks again to Hanah Kelfrod.**_  
_


	6. Maybe

**AN: Happy-ish. Thanks for the subscrips (a new abbreviation... 80) **

Maybe

She looked gorgeous. Nikola was trying not to stare.

It all went by in a blur. Laughing, (flirting), drinking - maybe a little too much for Lila - and... she remembered there had been some kissing.

"You know they say never to kiss a boy on a first date," he breathed.

"Little late for that, don't you think?" she laughed.

Again, she felt his lips pressed to hers. Lila tried to say something which pretty came out as a well deserved moan.

She knew this was probably not how things should be going. Lila had a feeling they probably shouldn't be standing in her room kissing, as drunk as she was. But the faded evening light, and the heat of him against her wasn't giving her any reason to move. Yet she pushed him back a little, and sighed. "I'm way too drunk, she said softly.

"Lila," he said in a surprised voice. "I think you might actually be beginning to display good judgement."

"Disappointed?" she rolled her head back, letting his arms around her waist hold her up, like a dance move. Her hand, which she had used to push him back, was still resting on his chest. Her own heartbeat quickened when she felt how fast his was.

"No," he said as they sat down. Albeit they were sitting on her bed, but Lila had a feeling Nikola was not planning on being a 'flirtatious bastard' tonight.

"Liar," she snorted, resting her head on his shoulder.

He laughed. "You are going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow."

"No I won't," she insisted.

"How so?" she rolled his eyes.

"Because I'm planning on staying up all night and going to bed in the morning so I miss the worst of it," she she lay back on the bed, hand of his.

He laughed again, and flopped down on his side next to her. "You're really trying to rub this in, aren't you?"

"What if I wasn't?" she opened one eye, trying to look innocent but succeeded for only one moment before she looked down from his eyes to his lips.

He smirked. "Uhuh. Very convincing. Next time you should try to avoid staring lustfully at my lips."

"Was not!" she said indignantly. "Besides, is that even a word?"

"Maybe." he smirked more. "So, what are you planning on doing until morning - besides staring at me lus-"

"Shut up," she groaned.

"It's your fault for starting it."

"How did I start it?" Lila wailed. "You were the one who started the joke when you started talking about 'good judgement'!"

He shrugged. "Nah. So, are you too drunk for a game?"

She opened her eyes again quickly, as if to check his whereabouts. They were full of suspicion.

He rolled his eyes at her suspicion, and poked her in the side. "Naughty girl. I meant a board game."

"Okay," she agreed slowly, and came back to a sitting position.

Seemingly out of nowhere, he pulled a game of Scrabble. She frowned at the choice, but they began to play. However, Lila smirked wickedly when he put down one word, which happened to be 'ideas'.

He rolled his eyes, and as she put down 'bad', he started looking for ways to steer the game away from her 'bad ideas'. He put down a seemingly innocent 'after'. Then, however, she was changing one of his words to be 'innocence'. He groaned. After innocence. Great.

"Niko, sometimes I wish you got drunk."

"You know, so do I." Quickly he changed the letters of 'innocence' to 'innuendo'.

She giggled. "Wow, Nikola. That's very... are you sure you aren't drunk?"

He rolled his eyes, and before he knew it they were both asleep. He had a feeling he would very much want to be drunk in the morning.

*.*

"Ow."

"I told you so," he smirked.

"Ow," she said again.

"By the way, it's 3 o'clock so you should probably get up," he said cheerfully.

Lila groaned, then looked at Nikola. He looked like he'd changed into more comfortable clothes since last night. Well, a loose gray button down shirt would certainly be more comfortable to sleep in than a suit. She groaned again as she realized she must have slept in her clothes from the night before, but when she looked down at herself she discovered she was wearing a gray night gown. And she hadn't been awake to change into it. "Nikola!" she sighed in exasperation.

"Not really the time to be getting shy, is it Li?"

She frowned at the new nickname, distracted from exactly how she was wearing a night dress she hadn't changed into. "Is it really 3 o'clock?"

"Yes." he grinned.

"Okay, I can get out of bed now," she decided half an hour later. Lila stumbled, and who caught her but Nikola. "Most people don't get out of bed to fall on the floor," he commented.

She sighed. "Nikola?"

"Li?" he asked, mimicking her tone.

Lila frowned again. "Weird way of displaying affection."

"What, giving you a nickname?" he seemed offended and hurt.

"No, the nickname itself." She really didn't want to get involved in the business of lies, lying and Lila at the moment.

"Ah. The important thing, Lila," when he drew her close she could hear his heartbeat. It's comforting, steady rhythym seemed like it was lulling her to sleep again. "Is that we're not lying any more."

She turned her face up to smile at him, but the words died on her lips. She suddenly got the feeling that he was almost testing 'them' out, to see if 'they' would last. _No,_ she wasn't going to say those words. Not until he did. _I love you.  
_

__Suddenly, Lila got up."I'll go change," she said quietly.

Nikola nodded and made his exit. Lila got the feeling that also something was still wrong between them. But she didn't want to think about that, so she turned back to the mirror and looked at the dark circles.

_We're not lying anymore, _he'd said.

She thought the words she couldn't - wouldn't say to him.

_Someday, maybe._


	7. Confession I

**AN: Thanks H. N. Kelford!**

Confession I

"Okay, so what are these furry little bastards?" Lila growled.

"Er, Nubbins," Nikola said. "Say, Lila, if you've never heard of them before maybe you should go back to the library or something, they haven't gotten there yet." He really didn't need Lila around right now, not when he was having enough trouble keeping his emotions straight as it was.

She shrugged. "Whatever. Don't get bitten."

"I won't," he promised as she left the room.

Once she was gone, his thoughts cleared a little. He advanced through the door, stunner in hand. And ran right into Helen.

*.*

Lila was her fingers against the table, twiddling her thumbs, and leafing through books was all very well - if you were a brainless idiot with nothing else to do, Lila thought. Plus, she was starting to annoy Henry, who was tapping away at his tablet.

"Sorry," she muttered after a particularly pained glance had been directed at her. Lila figured she could leave it at that, or try to engage the only other person nearby in a conversation. Usually it would have been a quick choice for silence. But she guessed things had changed. Lila figured, too, they could talk about labs or something. Though the lab she'd been in the majority of the time had been mainly corpse-centric.

"Somehow I just can't seem to dig into..." she flipped the cover of the book back. "The making of wax candles in the 1800s. Why does she have a book on that?"

Henry sat down. "She says they smell better than the modern ones."

Lila shrugged. "Everybody has their own cup of coffee."

Henry laughed. "The Doc would pretty much have a heart attack if she heard that expression used."

"She's one of those tea-die-hards?" Lila guessed.

"Yep."

"Well, speaking of that it's time I have take my triple-maximum-dose of caffeine." Lila reached for a cup across the table.

Henry's expression registered shock for a minute. _That was a lot of caffeine._

She saw his expression. "Hey, it's really addictive, but compare it to injecting pure adrenaline every morning and it's a lot better, trust me."

His mouth was wide open. "Motivation problems?" He managed, but it sounded just as weak as it was.

Lila just nodded and smiled. Somehow that only made it worse - left him to imagine how desperate someone would have to be. "Why do you love him?" the question slipped out.

Lila studied him for a long moment, drained the rest of her coffee, then answered. "He must seem like a self centred, selfish, arrogant, backstabbing jerk to you. To tell the truth, he is."

Henry frowned.

"He's also more. He's brave, he's clever - though it might be better for the world if he didn't know it quite so much - and he does care about people. He doesn't show it, and he probably doesn't care about you, but he does care about people. And he'd do anything for those he loves." She paused, and looked at the empty cup.

Henry winced as she poured more - some questions were best left unasked.

"I just don't know if I'm one of the people he loves," she said softly, half to herself. Once the second cup was gone, she said, "Hey, let's go check on them."

Henry quietly agreed.

*.*

They couldn't find them anywhere. Finally, they knocked on the door of Helen's office. There was no answer.

"Helen?" Lila opened the door.

What she saw nearly took her breath away. It wasn't the nubbin sitting on the table, or that she was unaware of what the nubbin did - it was that, sitting in front of her were Nikola and Helen. Making out right in front of her.

Lila wanted to break down and cry. But she didn't; couldn't.

At that moment, when the door slammed against the window as Lila threw it open, when Nikola's eyes met hers and suddenly knew what was happening, when the cup smashed against the floor - she felt incapable of emotion.

Then she was tearing away, away from Nikola begging her to stay. There were no conscious thoughts, only the need to get away, then to the lab, then to her room, then... then it would be alright. Lila pushed open the doors, opened the cabinets, and found a syringe of adrenaline and a bottle of pills. _I'm pathetic,_ was her only conscious thought.

Then she was in her room. She injected the adrenaline, feeling the world jolt into startling clarity. She would have to talk to Nikola soon.

When he got to her room, he found her sitting calmly on her bed. "Lila, listen to me. I can explain everything."

"I don't care," she answered. He noticed she was calm, but starting to fidget as if worried about something. It reminded him a lot of a reaction to adrenaline, but it couldn't be. He couldn't see the syringe in her hand.

"You don't understand, please Lila, just let me tell you, let me explain." he begged.

"See me in 10 minutes?" Lila's voice sounded weak now - like she couldn't quite make up her mind whether to break down or be strong.

"Okay." he stepped out of the room.

_Anything. Just let me explain._

*.*

He only lasted seven minutes, staring at his watch. Then he went to the door and to his slight surprise discovered it unlocked. It swung open too easily. Too quietly.

As his steps quickened, anxiety began to build until...

Until he saw her.

Pale. Still. Not breathing. Black hair tucked behind an ear, on the other side forming a curtain of softness on the pillow.

Dead.

"No!" the sob came. Then another. This couldn't be happening. Wasn't happening. Lila couldn't be dead - she would never commit suicide. No, no, no.

Suddenly he remembered her saying those words over and over again. Breaking. _Never?_ If there was nothing left to live for...

"No!" it all came crashing down. Nothing was going to change, never, except that she'd be gone. Forever. Gone because of him - because of a mistake.

Beside her there was a note.

_Dearest Nikola,_

_I think I have a confession to make._

__**AN: Cliffie! Oh gosh, this chapter makes me want to cry. And I wrote it. 80 Poor Lila and Nikola. They would be so much happier if someone else was writing it. And there were no nubbins. 80 But I'm wicked and enjoy writing angst so here you are...**

**"Dearest Nikola,**

**I think I have a confession to make."**


	8. Confession II

**AN: Thanks H N Kelfrod! Don't worry, the story can't go on without Lila.**

Confession II

_Dearest Nikola,_

_I think I have a confession to make. Several, actually. The first is that I'm pretty sure I've become a sadistic bitch. I know I wrote this letter so it would cause you the maximum amount of pain._

_The second is that I'm pathetic. Once I'm dead (as I really hope I am when you read this, otherwise it will be very awkward) Dr Lapdog can psycho-analyse me all he wants and blame it on whatever he likes. I'd prefer it if we just kept it to the simple truth, however. I don't need to be remembered as a perfect, misunderstood, innocent little girl. It really makes me want to slit my wrists instead of waiting for the pills to kick in._

_The third is that I know what I'm doing - have done by now - is stupid. Everything I've done is, so why stop? Niko, self pity is fun. I should've done it more while I was alive._

_But I also have this feeling I can't explain. _

_Euphoria. It really is almost painful to stare at that knife. I want it done. I can feel that I'm starting to get cold._

Here the handwriting got shakier. It started to veer more away from a last note, to the thoughts of someone who was dying. Nikola's fist clenched it tighter - she really had written it to cause him pain.

_Is this really better than bleeding to death... I guess I'll know soon..._

_Well, Nikola, the time has come for me to say 'Farewell and Adieu' and depart this mortal skein. The saintly Dr Magnus will have enough to deal with, without my Adam and Eve flashes._

_Love always no matter how much it hurts._

_Lila_

Nikola's eyes couldn't seem to make sense of the last paragraph. It sounded more like an insane priest - a sadistic, snide, insane priest - than Lila. It was written with her words, her new found sadistic sense of humor, but why the sudden change to Adam and Eve?

He growled. Wasting time. If she had only just died... his fingers found her wrist. It was vaguely warm.

Nikola quickly draped her over his arms and carried her into the bathroom. He started a shower in the dark, then stumbled to flip the warm light on. There was only one thought he could concentrate on - _restart circulation._

Quickly, he turned it all the way up. The hard, pounding water splashed all over Lila, plastering her hair to her face. _Come on, Lila. Come on. You can't be gone. You're not gone. _He realized tears were coursing down his face as he pushed her stomach rhythmically, trying to get her to breathe.

"Lila..." he whispered. Surging, circling wet water enfolded his knees as he sunk to the ground. Her head was pressed to his chest, like she was resting. But as water glitter in her black hair, he thought, _She's not resting. She's dead. _He pressed his lips to hers, pushing air into her lungs. She felt warm under the warm water, like it was just a kiss. But it wasn't a kiss. It was a last shot to get her back. _Please._

That was when the coughing started. The trembling, delicate feeling kept going until he realized what it was.

"Lila! Oh god, Lila!" Nikola brought her closer. He half expected her to say something snide like, 'Interesting excuse for kissing me.' Maybe your own suicide wasn't something could really make fun of.

He started half laughing, half sobbing. "Don't you ever do that again."

There was another trembling motion as she squeezed closer to him. Nikola stayed still for a while - Lila pressed up against him, warm bright light flooding through the room, the shower still pounding behind them, water swirling around their knees.

Nikola carried her to the bed. They were both sopping wet. He quietly clicked the shower off, the silence startling after the ever present drone. Lila hadn't said a word since she was revived. Nikola circled his arms around her, wet hair pressed against his already wet torso. He didn't care, there was no way he was going to let go of her to get dry.

"Sweetheart? Are you okay? Okay, stupid question, but... Lila?"

She stared off, then simply turned towards him and whispered, "Nothing makes sense."

"It will in the morning, everything will be okay in the morning." he promised tenderly. She only shook and drew closer. It wasn't what he'd wanted to say. But his preferred words would only have confused her more.

_Lila, I have a confession to make._

_I love you._


	9. Vision I

**IMPORTANT - This chapter is divided into 3 parts...**

**AN: This should all make sense later... For now you'll just have to wonder. This is what you get when I read too many fallen angel books and then try to write fanfiction! Thanks to Hannah Kelfrod. The bold bits later on are when she's dreaming.**

Vision I

Lila twisted in her sleep. Nikola was awake, watching her. Her lips parted and a small sound came out. He thought it sounded like 'snake', but couldn't be sure.

By the time she awoke, Nikola knew he couldn't keep the words back. _All in due time._

"Okay. Tell me why I'm not dead." Lila shivered.

"Because I brought you back." He expected her to say something about cheesy vampire lines, but she surprised by simply nodding.

"Why?" she asked then.

"Why?" he repeated with more force than intended. Nikola took a breath. "Because I love you."

Lila blinked her brown eyes. "Sure that isn't the Nubbins talking?"

"I thought you didn't know what they did?" he was suddenly taken aback. "That's not the point - the Nubbins have all been found - I love you. It came crashing down yesterday when I thought I'd lost you. I love you Lila."

She blinked again. "I can't afford to think of that right now."

Nikola frowned. "Nothing's happening now, sweetheart. You're completely safe."

Lila shook her head. "No. Something is happening - something important, and none of us are safe."

*.*

Images thrilled through her mind. It felt like cool wind on her face as she slept. This dream was of Nikola.

**His face was lit up - and unsurprisingly he had a glass of wine in his hand. If she was right, this was her birthday. "Here's to Lila," he said and grinned before draining the glass.**

**"Oh, really?" She laughed. "What were the other two for?"**

**"Shut up." Then his lips were on hers - very effectively shutting her up. Lila moaned and ran her hands up his neck.**

**"Getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we?" He teased, and slipped away again.**

**Sighing, Lila waited for him to return. It was a good day. Of course, it should have been on her birthday, but now she never really knew. It was one of the days when she really could just forget everything else and be happy with him.**

**When he came back, he had a tray of cupcakes. **

**"Nikola." her voice was dead serious. "Tell me you did not bake cupcakes."**

**"Are you asking if I baked, or do you not like cupcakes?" Ignoring interruptions, he went on. "Which can't possibly be the case, because I've seen you eat them before. And no, to be perfectly honest, I did not bake cupcakes. A girl scout came to the door - they seem to have moved on from cookies."**

**"You. Girlscout. Cupcake. In my book equals me, you, and a really naught idea on your part-"**

**"Shut up," and he lightly smacked her arm. "I can interact with children, you know."**

**She sighed. The dream varied from the actual occasion, her mind leading her in the dream on dark narrow roads - thoughts of Nikola and children had certainly not been present in her mind before. **

**Lila reached for a cupcake, but Nikola pushed the tray away. "It's my birthday and I don't get a cupcake, but you do?" she asked crossly.**

**"I never said that," he smiled coyly and offered her the cupcake he had.**

**"Naughty," she muttered.**

**The April rain drummed outside and soon they forget about cupcakes as the candlelight flickered.**

***.***

**Wind rushed past her face. As she tilted her brown eyes lower, Lila realized she was flying. Muddy brown earth littered with green forms was under her. **

**As Lila wove through the air, she realized that behind her cupping the air and tight with effort - were wings. Beautiful, graceful, black wings. Swooping lower, she hit the ground with a thud. Her limbs moved with an eerie grace as she stalked along, silence so quiet it almost overwhelmed her. It hit her then. This was a battlefield. The green forms - dead soldiers? There were other things too, she realized. _Abnormals,_ she thoughts. **

**_A battle with humans and abnormals as armies. Destruction._  
**

**Then the gunshot sounded. Lila felt a flash of pain, and then the world started to spin. Blood everywhere. A laboratory, out of place in the surge of images of death. Nikola's face hung in front of hers. "Lila, wake up." The words were very out of place, considering his eyes were black, fangs out, and nails extended. There was something else too. In the darkness behind him, past all the blood... **

**Was a pair of black, bloodflecked wings.**

"Nikola!" she gasped, coming awake.

"Lila, what were you dreaming of? You were... you were distressed." he finished awkwardly.

Lila looked away. "Fallen angels," she whispered hoarsely. "What did I say?"

"Err... something about 'stupid fantasies', 'cupcakes', I'm pretty sure you called me a 'flirtatious bastard', 'destruction', and you called someone who I'm hoping wasn't Helen a controlling, scientific bitch."

They all made sense, except for the last one. The laboratory? She wondered. "Oh."

"I'm getting Will," he muttered, and slid out of the bed. Leaving the word 'destruction' still ringing in her ears.


	10. Vision II

Vision II

"Okay, Lila, talk to me. Say whatever comes into your mind." Will smiled.

Lila leaned an elbow on the desk between them. "Seriously? I can guarantee that you don't want to hear some of my Nikola-related thoughts."

"I'm not joking. Tell me everything, no matter how crazy or stupid it sounds."

"I don't want to be here," she muttered. "I want to be back in bed, feeling safe and trying to figure out what my dreams mean." She realized that she did indeed feel that they meant something.

"Okay, tell me your dreams," Will suggested.

Lila breathed out. "They always start with a memory of Nikola, usually my thoughts are altered, but nothing else. Then, sometimes, I see a lab. A scientist, a woman with red hair. Apparently I swear at her in my sleep. After that... I dream that I have wings. I dream of wars, human and abnormal. I dream of blood. And..." she studied his face for a long time. "I dream of Nikola."

"Another memory, at the end of the dream?" Will asked.

"No. It's sometimes different. Sometimes, he's working on an experiment which always goes wrong and hurts one of us, sometimes we're running away from something and we get separated..." she took a deep breath. "Sometimes he's trying to kill me."

Helen got up from her seat in the corner, holding a photograph. "You mentioned a woman with red hair. Did..." her hands trembled slightly. "Did she look like this?"

Lila studied the photograph for a long moment, then nodded. "Who is she? I've never seen her before in real life."

"Her name is Dianne Whitcomb, part of the Cabal before it was destroyed. She's the bitch that destroyed my daughter." Helen said bitterly.

Lila turned from the photograph to Helen. "You... had a daughter?"

She nodded, then quickly realized what the spark of fear in Lila's eyes was about. "Not with Nikola!" The words were a little more loud than intended.

Nikola popped his head through the door. He couldn't seem to stay away for more than five minutes. "Not what with me?"

Lila cleared her throat. "She was saying she hasn't worked with you on a certain kind of, er, mission, before."

Nikola stared t her in bewilderment. he hadn't seen Lila looking this uncomfortable since... oh, that wasn't a fun memory.

_It was Valentine's Day. Lila was standing alone in her room. It was raining outside. She sighed, going to the window and watching the droplets flash down. This was the day when all the other couples were... well, couples. It annoyed her. _

_Nikola was downstairs. Her heels clicked along the hallway to his lab._

_He was standing there, in his white lab coat. Typically with vials of blood._

_Lila came up behind him. Her hand slid along his shoulders, and he stiffened as she pressed closer, kissing his neck. "Stop working," she whispered._

_He let out a sound halfway between a moan and a whimper. Spinning around suddenly, he caught her wrist and pressed his lips against hers. Hard. "Lila," he muttered._

_"Upstairs in five minutes," she said before whisking away._

_Brown sweater and jeans had been replaced with a truly breath taking red dress. "Bad boy," she said when she saw his choice of black leather jacket._

_"You like it too much for your own good," he laughed._

_Then she was there. So tightly pressed against him, arms already circled around him, breathless and hot to the touch. Lips gliding so easily over his._

_*.*_

_She was lying on one side of the bed, still slightly out of breath. Dress somewhere on the carpet. He was playing with her hair._

_"You have beautiful hair," he mused._

_She stayed silent for a while, the rolled on her side and against him. "Is that the only thing?"_

_"Well, no." he smiled._

_"Do elaborate," she grinned. "Perhaps..." Whatever she had been going to say was cut off by a kiss._

_But she pulled back. "Is that why?"_

_"Why what?" he frowned._

_"Nikola, there's no way I'm the only girl who's had the hots for you. But I'm still here. Why?" _

_He looked her in the eye. "It's not because you're pretty."_

_She rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm not pretty, compared to her."_

_"That wasn't what I meant!" he tried to protest, but she slipped out of the bed and put on her dress. She said softly, "Happy Valentines Day," before running out into the rain._

__"Um, ok." I need to talk to you." Nikola's voice was tender, but anxious.

Lila nodded and made her way out of the door, close to him. As always.


	11. Vision III

**AN: Thanks to Hannah Kelfrod.**

Vision III

They sat on the bed. He held her close, hands coming around to the front of her abdomen. Lila's head rested under his. She was gently pressed to him.

"We need to talk." Lila eventually said.

His eyes were shut. "I know."

She stared forward at the white dresser she'd been staring at for the past half an hour. "I'm not really sure what I'll say when we start talking."

"It is easier not to talk." Nikola's voice was soft. "But I think when we talk I'll have to say how I'm worried about you."

"And I'll ask you why," Lila smiled faintly at the way they were talking without talking.

"I'd probably say..." he stared forward, finally having opened his eyes. Then he dropped the pretence. "You committed suicide. Then bounced back to normal. For one thing. You asked me why I brought you back, but I never asked you why you killed yourself. I'm asking now. I don't want to hurt you, or frighten you, but I need to know. To understand. To help."

He squeezed her slightly, and she closed her eyes. Lila's words were low. "I saw you kissing the love of your life. I didn't know the Nubbins were affecting you. I just thought... I don't know what I thought, that it had all been some sort of perverse game or what." Her voice dropped even lower. "You're the only thing worth living for."

Tears were coming, he knew. She was already starting to tremble, and he could feel one sliding down his cheek. "Sweetheart, I love you."

"So, what now?" Lila twisted around, brown eyes full of tears and pain. "Now it's all okay? It's okay that you loved another woman for over a hundred years? It's okay that we had one of the most twisted, terrible relationships I have heard of? It's okay that I left and you found me covered in blood? It's okay that we always break our promises? It's okay that you were kissing her? It's okay that you said her name before all of this, when we were..." her voice broke.

He held her tighter. "No. None of it's okay, will ever be okay." Nikola whispered. "All this is, is a chance."

"A chance for what, more pain, lies, and betrayal?" She laughed bitterly, whiping away at her tears. More kept coming.

"A chance for love," he told her. Softly. Gently. Tenderly. But also, his voice was full of pain. Nikola wasn't sure he could stand it, if she walked away from him now. "I love you. Losing you made me realize it. Maybe I always have, I hope to God I have. I can't imagine now, not loving you, being with you and not loving you..." he trailed off. Lila was crying harder than ever.

"I love you," she choked out. Their love was fragile, but all the stronger for it.

Then she started coughing. The hard, racking coughs made her jerk against him. She motioned at her throat, eyes suddenly wide.

A shot of fear went through him as he realized what was happening. She couldn't breathe. He felt afraid as he spun her around towards him. She was so weak, so frail, and now she couldn't breathe. Lila had always been strong, but not since... she'd been having problems breathing but they had passed before.

He crushed his lips to hers, willing himself to keep pushing air into her lungs. _Keep breathing. You have to keep breathing._

Eventually, she drew a breath of her own. Then she pressed back against him. He could understand the feeling - he only wanted to be close to her.

The ex-Cabal Dianne Whitcomb was out there, appearing in Lila's dreams. She had dreams of flying, and a war. She knew things she'd never known before, shouldn't know. Something big was coming. A lot of things had gone wrong.

But they had each other. That was all that had really mattered, all that would ever matter.

END OF PART ONE

**IMPORTANT - End of Part One. I'll try to keep updating, but I'm going on holiday and the second part may not come until September. In August and the beginning of September, even if I am updating, it won't be frequently. Thanks!**


	12. Time To Wake Up

**IMPORTANT **-** Rating has been changed to M for swearing and violence, later on. It's terrible, but true!**

**AN - I know, an update! It's amazing! I'm not sure when I'll update next though, it could be tomorrow or two weeks from now. I'm not quite so sure about what I've written for Part Two so far though... so I apologize if it is confusing or not good.**

PART TWO - BATTLEFIELD

Time To Wake Up

Soft gray light spilled through the window. It was evening.

Lila lay curled in Nikola's arms. He slowly blinked his eyes open. It was almost a surprise to find her sleeping there. He'd woken up a good many times and found her gone. Not that he hadn't done the same. There was a tense feeling in the back of his mind he couldn't quite grasp. Lila was strangely silent. Something was wrong.

Nikola couldn't stop himself from shaking her awake. Her eyes slowly opened. "Hey." she said softly.

"Hey."

"Are you okay?" she asked then.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have woken you up." Nikola put a hand to his face.

Lila shook her head, then tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear. "It's okay. I was having a bad dream."

He frowned slightly. "You didn't make a noise."

"Well..." she stopped and stared into his eyes. "I wasn't having a bad dream, exactly. It wasn't exactly bad and it wasn't exactly a dream." Lila sighed. "I'm not explaining this very well."

"It's okay." He smiled gently.

"I like your smile," she said in a hushed voice. "You don't smile enough," was added thoughtfully.

"I don't think I've had a good deal of reasons to smile," he replied, irked.

Lila sighed. "Fair point."

"But what was your dream?" he prompted.

She cupped a hand to his cheek. "I was looking into your eyes, like this." Her eyes flicked around. "We were somewhere else. But it also felt like time was runnin gout, like soon I wouldn't be able to look into your eyes any more. And Niko, it felt so _cold._" she winced slightly at the memory.

He drew her closer, unsettled. "It was just a dream, Li."

Slowly, she shook her head. "I don't know.

They stayed like that for a while. Nikola stared down into her gentle brown eyes. He'd always been able to read her emotions through her eyes. After a moment, she smiled. He smiled back, but there was a tinge of sadness to it. Nikola realized her smile was a little sad too.

His voice was slow and hesitant. "Do you get the feeling... that we're running out of time, now?"

Lila nodded, but didn't take her eyes off his. "I don't care what happens, a few moments from now, months from now, ten years from now. I love you."

There were a thousand things he could worry about. Right now, there was only one thing important enough to do. He bent slowly towards her, and enveloped her in a sweet, slow kiss. "I love you," he whispered back.

That was when the door flew open and the gunshots and alarms started.

*.*

Helen was on the floor with a gun to her head. Henry's tablet had just crashed to the floor. Will and Kate were fighting someone around the corner.

Nikola's mind raced to figure out what was happening. Then, it all made sense.

Dana Whitcomb strutted into the room, smiling and clasping her hands. She looked over everyone there. Will and Kate were being dragged in. "Now, you are probably all a little confused," Dana started. The alarms kept on going, loud and shrill. She held up a gun, and without hesitation pointed it at a mirror in the corner of the room. She shot, shattering it into a thousand flashing pieces. After a moment, the alarms stopped. There was complete silence. "Now we've stopped that horrid noise this contemptible half dog started, I believe I have a revelation for you." Dana kicked Henry, sending him sprawling across the floor. "We are taking control of this facility and its resources. The evacuation alarm that Henry here started has been silenced. From now on, you are no longer your own people, but ours." She pointed to Henry, Kate, and Will. "You three will be allowed to remain here under close supervision. You will keep up appearances while the abnormals are transferred to our facilities. She smiled. "You three will become out new... angels, shall I say."

Nikola could feel Lila's heart skip a beat. It was only when a form appeared in the doorway, however, that he realized she wasn't talking to him, Lila, and Helen at all.

John Druitt stood in the doorway, handcuffed and grimacing. Dana was talking to the three that were left of the five. John, Helen, and Nikola.

Lila's eyes widened as Dana finally turned to her and Nikola. "You, Lila, were going to wake the world up. Unfortunately, you killed my scientist before he completed his job, so I'm afraid you're just another... casualty." And the gun began to rise.

"Time to wake up," she whispered.


	13. Slow Motion

Slow Motion

Nikola's eyes widened. He saw the gun. He felt Lila pressed up against, for what would be the very last time. If that bullet hit her. A million things flashed through his mind.

All the people that were dead because of him. What it would be like if he added Lila to that list. The word that came to mind was _unbearable_. All the times he'd made her cry. The times he'd hurt her. And the few times he'd made her happy. Just how much he had to make up for - and how badly he wanted to make up for it all.

He pushed her out of the way. Blood flowed from where it hit his chest. Gasping, Nikola came to stand over her. She was fumbling, trying to get up.

"Do whatever you like to me. Just keep the fuck away from her, you bitch."

Dana's eyes widened. "Well, well, Nikola."

Lila tried not to scream as she saw bullet after bullet fly through the air. Not at her. At Nikola. His eyes were wide with pain and surprise. Lila struggled, and finally pushed herself off the floor. "STOP! STOP!" she screamed. "Stop shooting!"

Dana rested the gun back on her belt, still wearing a smile. Helen suspected her ceasefire might have had more to do with being out of bullets than Lila's desperate scream. "Why, little girl? You heard him, I can do whatever I want. You just proved yourself to be much more useful alive."

Lila spat bitterly at the floor. Henry smiled slightly, and Helen felt a rush of admiration for Lila. She didn't understand Lila - but she felt like she'd like to know her.

Then, she wrapped her arms around Nikola, letting him sink backwards onto her. Neither said a word. Lila just watched Dana with a look that suggested if Dana came one step closer, she would have a very ugly scar.

Dana Whitcomb just smiled. Smiled at the hate on Lila's face. At the blood that pulsed from Nikola's wounds. At the fact that, by the end of the day, Lila would probably wish she was dead.

"Let's go," she said.

*.*

"What are you doing? Get away from him!" Lila shrieked. She was being dragged away from Nikola, in the opposite direction. Before rounding the corner, she screamed one last time. "I said get the fuck away from him!"

Then all was quite. Dana smiled, and looked down at Nikola, who was unconscious by her feet. She dragged him up, and into her lab. Once he was in a sitting position, she reclined the chair and got the syringe. Briefly, she ran her fingers through his hair. "You are very lucky, my boy, do you know that? ...Yes, she loves you very much."

Dana stopped smiling, then pushed the needle into his neck. "Good boy."

*.*

Lila protested. Screamed. Swore. Struggled. And after the gunshots, after the violence, she was brought to... what looked like a room in a comfortable apartment?

Lila sat in the bed. "What the fuck," she whispered. "This is crazy. I'm talking to myself. Getting crazier. Where exactly does this fit into the 'I-am-a-bitch-' strategy plan?" Lila laid back on the bed. She started to wonder if swearing had become a coping strategy.

Why did all this shock her so much?

She'd seen violence before. Had seen people die. Had killed people. Had watched her boyfriend kill them. Had helped him try to take over the world.

Lila liked the way a gun felt in her hand. Cold perfection, fitting perfectly to her hand. She liked the way it sounded when it fired. The loud crash, and then the dull thud. The truth was she wasn't any better than Dianne.

A thousand memories screamed at her that it wasn't true, and so many more whispered that it was. Slowly, she got up. She wasn't going to play their game. She was going to find Nikola.

Her footsteps sounded flat and dull on the smooth floor. She walked through seemingly endless white hallways until she came to the labs.

That was when she heard his scream. And then Helen yelling, "Get off of me!" They were coming from the same room, from the sound of it. _Good._ She didn't have to make a choice, not yet. Lila pushed hard against the door. It swung open and crashed against the wall. It hadn't been locked, or even shut. The realization didn't really sink in.

Nikola, twitching uncontrollably, tied to a chair with blood coming in and out of him in clear tubes. Helen, about to be wrestled into a chair of her own. John, about to get shot several times.

As predicted, he lunged for Helen, trying to drag her back, and the bullets started to hit. He went to the floor bleeding heavily. Dana only looked at Lila. "Come here, little girl." Her voice was quiet, but Lila still heard her through the din. Lila walked stiffly towards her. "You have 24 hours with your boyfriend before we find out exactly how much data my scientist downloaded into your brain. An experience which will either make you very valuable, inconsequential, or dead. Do not attempt to escape. I suggest you take care of him if you don't want my people to."

Lila didn't seem to pay attention to her words, just got Nikola out of there. She lied him down gently on the bed. He was still twitching in pain. There was blood all over him.

Lila took the medical supplied, which someone must have placed on their bed.

_Just one more part of their plan._

She wiped away at the blood, now seeing more clearly where it was coming from. His shoulder blades. Nails. Eyes. He was coughing it up. She just wiped it gently away, and bandaged the wounds as best she could.

Then Lila laid down opposite him. Nikola drew closer to her. As he shook against her, sometimes trying to talk, other times closing his eyes and just shaking with pain, she didn't cry. Or flinch. Or say a word. Lila just held him tightly as he bled and shook, sometimes wiping new blood away.

In slow motion, Lila was watching the destruction of her life. And there was nothing she could do.


	14. Memories I

**AN: We get some insight into Lila's life before Nikola in this chapter...**

Memories I

"Time's up," Dana's voice drifted into the room.

Lila realized she had fallen asleep. Nikola twisted, and she was relieved to see he was looking better._ Now it's my turn to have my brain messed with._ she thought grimly._ Messed with more, anyway._

Lila got up quietly, actually glad she'd gone to sleep in jeans, though her top was soaked with blood. She should know better than to wear white by now, she thought. "I'm coming." Lila quickly put on her black boots and stood up.

Her eyes widened in alarm when she realized Nikola was following. "Niko, get back in bed," she gently nudged him back a step.

He shook his head slowly. "There's no way you're going in there alone."

Lila was about to protest when Dana spoke again. "He is stronger now. Let him come."

Lila involuntarily growled at the woman. Nikola raised an eyebrow when she shot him a quick glance. _Since when do I growl?_ Lila wondered.

"Come," she said.

*.*

Lila was strapped into a chair. Bright lights glared and all around her there were flashing machines. Lila was used to labs by now. Creepy labs. Labs with dead people in them. When she thought about Nikola's previous labs, she wondered if she was crazy. Usually the answer she came up with was 'yes, she was crazy'.

But she was not used to being on the wrong end of it.

Watching Nikola pacing in front of her, the only thing she could think of was that he was the only thing that had really mattered to her. Damn the circumstances, damn the consequences. She loved him.

"'Now Lila, we're going to have to do a brain scan." Lila hated her voice. "A special kind. See, you were captured by the government, because of your connection to Nikola. I was in control of that branch of the government. I had a special use in mind for you. Only people who have been injected with the source blood, like Nikola, are strong enough to live through the abnormal transformation. But you were going to be leverage, my dear, and you were going to help them complete their mission. Think of yourself as an expendable general."

Lila frowned. "So you're scanning my brain to see how much I know subconsciously." She didn't bother to ask how it was possible - she'd spent far too much time around Nikola for that.

"Exactly. However, the scan may bring up some memories."

"What kind of memories?" Lila narrowed her eyes. There were so many memories she didn't want to revisit.

"Painful memories."

Then she drifted off into oblivion.

*.*

_18. She was 18, And she was lying in bed with her first boyfriend._

Shit, Lila thought.

_Lila laughed. "Stop it!"_

_He was tickling her. "Why?"  
_

_"Because I said so!" She shut him up with a kiss.  
_

_Then the door opened. It was her sister.  
_

_"What are you doing in my room?" Lila was furious.  
_

_"I'm getting the remote," Tracey rolled her eyes, waving the thing. "It was in your room. Besides, it's not like there's ever been a reason to knock before." She smirked at the boy lying next to Lila. He was looking very uncomfortable.  
_

_"Sorry I didn't meet your standards," Lila set her jaw.  
_

_"Whatever, Ms Naive," Tracey swung the door shut behind her.  
_

Fuck you, Lila wanted to scream. But she couldn't, because as it was she was only a bystander in this memory. Watching from afar.

_Lila turned back. "Ignore her," the boy said._

_"Simon, have you ever..." she started  
._

_"Lila. I have known you since we were 14, dated since we were 15. Do you really think this wasn't my first time too?"  
_

_Lila ducked her head.  
_

In the memory, she was embarrassed beyond words. In reality, Lila was cursing herself. Not only for being so stupid, but... she'd forgotten his name. Guilt pulsed through her.

_"Hey you, stop looking that way. I love you, not your sister." Simon paused, as if he wanted to add something nasty about Tracey, but he didn't._

_"So, you don't want a slut for a girlfriend?" Lila asked, having no problem saying nasty things about Tracey.  
_

_"No." He smiled. "I want you."  
_

_Lila grinned.  
_

Not in the way she would have grinned later, if Nikola had said he wanted her.

*.*

_Lila's eyes widened in horror. It was six months later. Lila, Simon, and her cousin Susan were walking down a flight of stairs. Laughing._

No, no, no, Lila wanted to run away. It was the month before Susan disappeared, she knew. Lila frowned - if she remembered right, they were going through a mall on the way back from a movie.

_"Hey, give the popcorn back!" Lila laughed as Simon snatched the popcorn._

_"Why?!" He ran past her, up the stairs. Lila and Susan turned instantly, scrambling up the stairs after him.  
_

_Simon turned on the top of the stairs. "Can't catch me now!"  
_

_Lila tripped up, falling to her knees. "Okay, we give up," she sighed.  
_

_He grinned, and bent down to help her up. The moment froze.  
_

_Escalators moving up and down. She was kneeling on the marble colored floor. Susan was slightly bent over, panting. People were milling around below, everything bright and loud.  
_

_Then he started to fall. Lila didn't know how it happened. He just fell. Rolling down, yelling. He was terrified. It was like watching a rag doll fall, he was helpless. Thrown against the sharp, hard, stairs, until he lay splayed at the bottom. Already dead from a broken neck.  
_

_Lila stood frozen.  
_

She knew what happened. Susan rushed down to find him dead. Lila stayed frozen, kneeling there. And a month later, Susan disappeared when her scientific career led her to abnormals.

Lila thought, so this is pain.


	15. Memories II

**AN: Warning - This chapter is really sad!**

Memories II

_Smoke was everywhere. The gray clouds were blown to each direction by the wind, but the choking scent still remained._

_"Nikola?" Lila coughed.  
_

_A gun shot answered her. She sped up, her own gun in her hand. There was another shot, and a voice she recognized calling out.  
_

_They were in a hotel parking lot, trying to intercept a shipment of redlist abnormals. Lila didn't question Nikola's motives any more. She just trusted him... or maybe she didn't care anymore.  
_

You idiot, Lila felt like yelling. You think you've seen it all.

_Finally, she found him. Two men were dead, the third was firing rapidly at Nikola. Lila knew the bullets couldn't kill him, but he was vamped out and in pretty bad shape. Almost without hesitation, Lila moved her own gun up. The metal was cool against her skin, as she squeezed the trigger. The bullet moved quickly, smoothly through the air, until it vanished in a swell of blood. She knew he was death._

_Lila rushed to Nikola, cupping a hand to his cheek. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"  
_

_He nodded, breathing a little too shallow for her liking. Then he shook his head, and was back to normal. Nikola cocked his head. "Doesn't it scare you when I'm like that?"  
_

_Lila smiled, though she wasn't really sure why. "No."  
_

_He stayed still a moment longer. "That was the first person you killed, wasn't it?" He asked.  
_

_Briefly, Lila nodded. Then another question. "Does it get easier?"  
_

_"Yes," he said. "I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but it gets so easy you barely notice."  
_

_Lila didn't know what had happened to her. She loved a man who killed people. She killed people. She was not the innocent girl in the mall anymore, she thought.  
_

Lila watched the memory. Just another day in the office.

The next memory made her scream.

*.*

She knew what the memory would be. It was the most painful memory she had. The one she pushed out of her mind. The one she cried about at night. The one she hated herself for. The one thing Nikola would never try to talk about. The thing she would never talk about to anyone.

_Lila was pregnant. She'd never thought it would happen. Never seriously considered it. But she guessed the night she'd said 'Damn the consequences' to Nikola had paid off. They hadn't done it on purpose, it had just... happened._

_Her hands shook. _

_Her first instinct was to run to Nikola. He protected her... even if he hurt her. Nikola always tried to protect her.  
_

_But she'd have to tell him. And what then?  
_

_Her hands shook more. Nikola would be back from the lab in 5 minutes, maybe less.  
_

_She could leave. She could just leave.  
_

_She could lie to him when he came back, and figure out what to do later, alone.  
_

_The other option to conceal the truth from him made her feel sick. **I'm not that cruel, am I?** Another sob came. All of the options would break her heart, she knew that.  
_

_As the door swung open, and Nikola stepped through, there was only one last choice. She had to tell the truth and hope he could save her from this mess, somehow.  
_

*.*

_He tried. He always tried to save her. Sometimes, though... he couldn't. Sometimes he just had to pick up the pieces after everything went to hell.  
_

_The Cabal. The Cabal had found them. He ran along the dark corridor, heart pounding hard. Nikola came to an intersection. They had sent a team to kill anyone in the building, but because his lab was under a normal enough looking apartment they didn't know for sure it was his lab. The team knew it now, though.  
_

_He could shut all the doors to the outside, and pick the team off one by one. The Cabal would be none the wiser - it was a dangerous field of work, teams must go missing often. But he had to get to the control panel, which was to the right. Lila was to the left.  
_

_There was no decision. Immediately he ran to the left. He thought the silence was good, no guns were being fired.  
_

_Lila was on the floor, sobbing and kicking. But the man was trying to punch her death, apparently because Lila had smashed his gun against the wall.  
_

_He was dead by the time Nikola got to her. Nikola threw him against the wall, shattering almost every bone in his body.  
_

_"Lila... Oh God, Lila..." Blood was running down her legs, soaking her jeans. He knew what was happening. Gently, he carried her upstairs. Then he killed every last man of that team. He never told her it was the Cabal, they never spoke of it after that night.  
_

_It was time to pick up the pieces.  
_

*.*

She was back in the lab. Screaming so hard it hurt. "Nikola..." she sobbed.

His arms closed around her. "Sh, Lila, it's okay."

Lila sobbed harder. "Nothings okay."

"I know," he whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

It was only later, when she was lying on the bed with his arms around her, that it hit her. He knew what memory she'd been reliving. She'd screamed for him like that the day she lost her child.

He was apologizing for being too late. "Oh Niko," she whispered.

So much more came flooding in, so many more memories. Emotions. Information about Dana's plan.

But she was still caught in a memory.


	16. Oblivion

**AN - Sorry if the last chapter shocked you... I have weird tragic ideas, deal with it. :) Um... rereading it, this chapter goes too fast and may be too weird... I'm sorry guys. I'm not proud of this chapter.  
**

Oblivion

"So, Lila and Nikola, John and Helen." Dana clasped her hands. "Three of you have been genetically altered. An operation made possible by the strength given to you when you injected the source blood. If you were not already immortal, the operation would have made you so. Now, not only does giving you wings have a wonderful sense of irony, it also has a practical purpose. Lila will explain the rest."

Lila swallowed. "We're going into the past. I don't know the exact science, but it involves something to do with a man named Adam Worth, and a genetically modified abnormal energy source. Effectively... we're taking over the world. We'll have far more advanced weapons, as well. We can't go too far back or we might never be born. Um, some of us anyway. Some people will think we're 're basically a scouting group, then they'll send the army in after us - an abnormal and human army."

"Good." That smile again. "But before you leave, you should know that if you make a wrong move, someone you care about will pay. Very dearly. Lila, I need to speak with you."

Helen and John left, Helen casting a worried glance over her shoulder.

Dana's eyes flicked to Nikola. "Traces of vampire blood were found in her blood. We're doing an operation."

Lila's eyes widened. She didn't know why, but she knew what was coming - pain.

*.*

Strapped into a chair. Convulsing with pain as it radiated from her shoulder her life flash before her eyes. She knew she was screaming, but she couldn't stop. Lila's eyes met Nikola's, trying to focus on something other than the flow of memories.

They hadn't been able to make Nikola leave, but they had to restrain him. He was struggling with the handcuffs, which must have been stronger than usual. Lila knew he was trying to help, but he couldn't. Then, she slid away from his blue eyes and back into the memories an pain.

Pain. So much pain. She remembered the agony of screaming and yelling for Nikola. While the life was beat out of her. She recalled his body shattering against the wall. And the blood - blood everywhere. Lila could almost feel the soft way Nikola had carried her broken form away. She could remember a thousand different shards of pain.

But no, those were not the memory she was looking for. She needed to know why she was living through this now.

A suspicion crept into her mind, but she frantically tried to push it away. _What if you were just another experiment to him? _No. It wasn't true - couldn't be true.

Then, from the midst of the swirling pain, she grasped the memory.

_He'd been trying to save her life._

_Blood. There was always blood. She was bleeding to death.  
_

_She'd been shot several times. Lila was lying on the table in the lab while Nikola frantically tried to stem the blood flow. There were a few smashed bottles and syringes on the floor from when he'd pushed them off, trying to find something useful. Nikola leaned over, pushing another bandage in place. It was soaked in red almost immediately.  
_

_"Nikola, this is not going to work." Lila rasped.  
_

_"Yes, yes it is, I am not going to let you die!" he responded desperately. "You can't die." He wanted to say more, but something held him back.  
_

_"Why do you care so much?" Lila hadn't meant to say it out loud, but she had.  
_

_Nikola stared at her for a long moment, then plunged a syringe into his own arm. Her vision blurred for a moment, as he injected his blood into her.  
_

_"This," Nikola whispered, "Is going to save your life. I don't know what it'll do to you, but it will save you. I'm not letting you go."  
_

Lila returned to consciousness, not in the lab but in the room they shared.

"Lila," Nikola's voice came.

Now she knew why John and Helen had looked so haggard. They had felt this pain. But Nikola's voice called her out of her thoughts. She blinked open her eyes... to discover that she had wings. Caught in Nikola's gaze, she realized the pain was gone, and she had healed. Instead, Nikola's hands gently trailing along her wings, his eyes on her, everything felt right.

Slowly, she leaned up, kissed him deeply, and welcomed oblivion.


	17. Electricity

**AN - Strange chapter...**

Electricity

When she woke up, Nikola wasn't beside her. Lila blinked her eyes, and propped her head on her hand, looking around. She found him sitting on a chair in the corner of the room.

Nikola stood up. "we can't do this."

"'Meaning help them completely change our world as we know it? Yeah, I think we're agreed." Lila rolled her eyes. "I'm so not going to ask how we can avoid it, genius." She sighed. "I don't want to fight with you, not now."

"Something isn't right," Nikola insisted. "There has to be a way around it."

Lila frowned. "They seem to have thought this out pretty well."

He stared at her. "So you're giving up?"

Lila's reply was quiet. "Nikola. They just made me a fucking angel. I just had to relive the most painful memories of my life. I found out I'm now _immortal._ I have vampire blood in my system, and I just almost died. After everything we've been through, I'm pretty damn close to giving up."

Nikola sat down next to her. "No. Not you. You never give up."

"No?" She started to cry. "I've given up, Nikola, and maybe it's time I stopped trying to live this pathetic life."

"You can't give up!" Nikola railed. "Not on life, not on me."

"What's your plan, genius?" Her voice was dull and hollow.

"We need to search the building, top to bottom. There has to be something we can use. I'll get Helen and John to help."

"They'll have surveillance." Lila pointed out.

"No. They think this facility is completely secure. They won't have surveillance." He stood up, then bent forward and kissed her. Whispering, "Don't you dare give up on me."

*.*

"Bingo," Lila grinned.

"I suppose one would say that," Helen said thoughtfully.

'Hey. Miss British. We just found the _weapon_ room. Ringing a bell?"

"Yes, but the reason they let us roam freely is because we can't actually get to it. The walls are made of impossibly thick steel, and the only door -"

Lila cut her off, "Needs a highly classified code to open it. Which magnetic genius do you think might be able help us?"

Helen nodded distantly. "Lila, could I have a word?"

Lila turned back, hands on hips. "I am so not in the mood for a chick bonding moment."

"I want to understand you." Helen told her bluntly.

Lila was silent. "Why?"

"Nikola is one of my oldest friends, and it's clear you mean a great deal to him." Helen wanted to add, 'And it's clear he causes you a great deal of pain.'

Lila sighed. "It's complicated, okay?"

She came back next to Helen. Lila was about to speak, when she slapped a hand to the code plate, resting her hand there. The next minute, she fainted, and the door swung open.

*.*

"Nikola, what the bloody hell is going on?" Helen demanded.

"I don't know!" he snapped.

Lila lay on the bed, still unconscious. Nikola sat by her, and John and Helen sat to the sides. "Come on baby, you have to wake up," Nikola whispered, running a hand over her forehead. Right on cue, her eyelids flicked opened. "Niko?"

"Hey," he whispered, kissing her on the forehead.

Druitt said, "As touching as this is, shouldn't we figure out what just happened?"

Nikola nodded. "Lila, can you remember what happened?"

She blinked once or twice. "I was talking to Helen outside the weapon's room. Then I touched the code plate, and there was this weird feeling..."

Nikola narrowed his eyes. "And then you fainted."

"Yes."

He was silent for a moment. "Helen, John, I need to talk to Lila." He bit his lip.

Once they were gone, he lay down next to Lila. "Lila, I looked at the code plate downstairs. Magnetic energy wouldn't do the trick... but electricity would."

"What are you saying?" she asked. "And aren't they one and the same, really?"

"Yes and no." he answered. "Lila, I think I figured out what happened, but I need you to do something for me first."

She nodded, frowning.

"Okay. I want to picture lightning."

"Lightning?" she asked, confused.

Nikola nodded. "And imagine the feeling you get, when you get a shock."

"A shock. Niko, you're not making any sense." Lila complained.

"An electric shock," he sighed.

"Okay..." A moment later, a spark flew up from her fingers.

"What the hell?!" Lila exclaimed.

"Yeah," he said slowly. "That's what my blood did to you. And the operation must have triggered it."

"Nikola, what are you talking about?" she asked.

"Lila... you're electric." he said.

Lila sat up in bed. "Whoa."

"Lila..." He put his hand on her hand. "I want to try something."

She nodded. "What is it?"

"Try to channel the electricity again." he instructed.

"Won't I hurt you?" Lila asked.

He shook his head. "I want to see if we can create an electromagnetic current."

Lila grinned. "This is why I love you, brilliant." She leaned forward, kissing him.

And then, they started the electromagnetic current. He held her tighter. Then, he let her go.

"Whoa." She said again.

"Yeah," he grinned. "Lila, we're getting out of here, whatever it takes."


	18. Safety

**AN - So, I know my chapters recently have started to suck badly. The plot is getting so confusing. And it's about to get more confusing. But I think I'm about to suddenly disappear for a while, so I thought I would update a chapter that didn't end on a cliff hanger, and ended nicely. It's not the end, just a break for about 10 days, maybe.**

Safety

Dawn light came through the window. There was a huge window in their room. But the sunrise looked more like a sunset to Nikola. He looked out the window. Lila was sitting on the bed, watching him. He still didn't move. He wanted to go to her, but had to keep thinking.

Finally, Lila got up. She loved watching him. "What is it?" she asked, coming up behind him and resting her head on his shoulder.

He sighed. "There's just so much to think about."

"Tell me," she said quietly.

"Lila... we have a plan. We have a weapon we can use. But soon, they will realize that the guard is missing. The weapon room is down at the very bottom of the building, so not that many people go down there. But soon, they will notice. The weapon will send out a massive, lethal power surge. There are a few safe spots where we could hide from it, but the plan is risky. Lila, we could die. After everything, we could die." He took his eyes from the window and looked into her eyes.

"Is it better than the alternative?" She asked.

"I don't know, Lila. I don't want to lose you."

"I don't know, either, Niko." she said softly. "I don't know anything anymore."

Nikola closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. For everything."

Lila sighed quietly. "So am I. We wouldn't be here today if we'd both acted differently."

"It might be worse." he didn't sound as if he believed it.

"Maybe." Slowly, painfully, she moved away from him. "Ready to save the world?" she asked.

"Not yet. Come here." He held her head to his chest and circled his arms around her. "I love you."

"I love you," she murmured.

*.*

"Run!" Nikola shouted. Druitt and Helen were activating the weapon, but the security wasn't as lax as they'd hoped, and there was and EM shield. Helen and John had run for a safe spot, but there were men everywhere, searching. Lila and Nikola were together, running. Bullets whirred past them as they ran.

"In here!" he yelled. It was a storage space, but was a safe spot because of the walls it had. Lila dove in through the door, hot on heels. Nikola slammed the door, panting hard. After a moment, there was silence. And then, the sound of bodies dropping.

Nikola looked away, and Lila winced. "We made it," he said after a pause.

She slumped down on his shoulder. "Nikola, I love you."

He smiled in spite of himself. "I love you."

Lila looked small, hunched against him with her knees up and her head against his shoulder. He tucked a strand of hair between her ear. He found it hard to believe all that she'd been through, when she looked so small and frail. Nikola kissed her forehead and held her to him. They stayed like that for a long time.

Then, Nikola got up. "Stay there," he said. She nodded, and stayed sitting on the stairs. When he looked back, she had drifted off to sleep against the wall. He smiled, though he felt like crying. After everything he'd put her through, she still loved him. It wasn't right, it shouldn't be this way - but it was, and he didn't know what he'd do without her.

When she woke up, something wasn't quite right. Lila blinked her eyes open. She knew she'd gone to sleep against the wall. So... why was she... sleeping in the middle of a lot of pillows? Nikola was next to her, staring at her.

"Niko... what... happened..." she asked slowly.

He grinned. "We're locked into a storage space, Lila. With a lot of pillows."

She smiled. "Oh, really?" She leaned in closer to him. "Why would we want pillows?"

He scowled at her. "Sleeping. You need to sleep."

Lila pouted, then smiled and kissed him. "No. I need you. I've always needed you."

Nikola smiled, and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her gently. Lila thought, in her whole life, she had never felt more safe than she felt in his arms at that moment.


	19. Last Kiss

**I know, I know, it's short. Pt 3 following soon, I hope.**

Last Kiss

Lila yawned and stretched. "Mm..." She really hadn't felt this comfortable in a long time. She sighed and lay down next to Nikola. "Hey."

"Hey." He smiled, snuggling closer

"You know, only you would build a bed out of pillows. And carry me onto it while I'm sleeping."

"Mm," was his only response.

After a while he looked down at her, a faint shadow of worry in his eyes. Lila tried to ignore it, and subconsciously brought a blanket up.

He chuckled softly. "Really? Modesty is the last thing I expect from you."

"What do you expect?" she asked softly.

"Oh, Lila." He sighed. "Talk to me.

"What do you mean?" Lila asked.

"I mean really talk to me," he said.

"I can't talk. I learned not to talk." her voice dropped.

"And it's breaking you," he said.

Lila's eyes found Nikola's eyes, and she started talking. "My first boyfriend fell down the stairs and broke his neck. My sister didn't care about me. My cousin disappeared and everyone thought I was crazy when I went to look for her and found out she died. My second boyfriend cheated on me. And then, you. I was your assistant, who had a crazy stupid crush on a vampiric geniu. And then, what, we were... what were we?"

Nikola was silent for a moment. "I loved you Lila, I just didn't know it."

Lila sighed, and tried to keep her voice steady. "I lost our baby, Nikola..." She began to sob, and shake against him.

"Sh... Sh... Nothing I say will make it okay, Lila..." He wanted so bad to comfort her, but he couldn't. When he looked down into her tear filled eyes, he knew all the things she'd wanted... he knew, from things she'd said in her sleep, she'd wanted more than anything just to hold her baby. But everything had just flipped out of their control.

They stayed liked that for hours. Somehow, in his arms, away from everything, in the dark, she still felt safe, for the first time for a long while - maybe for the first time she'd felt truly safe.

*.*

_Back at the Sanctuary_

They lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Helen was glad to see you safe," Lila commented.

Nikola sighed. "She was glad to see _us._"

Lila stayed silent.

"Maybe if you didn't have such a prickly exterior personality she could get to know you, like I do." Nikola rolled his eyes. "When will you start believing people care about you?"

Lila closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. For everything."

Then, there was silence.

*.*

"Niko..." Lila said a while later.

"What is it?' Something in her tone wasn't right.

"I... I'm leaving."

Startled, he lifted his head quickly and held her a little tighter. "_What?_"

"Not forever. Just a little while. I just got word my Mom is sick. It might not be serious, but I should see her, and I need to do some thinking." Lila blinked anxiously.

Nikola's eyes were wide. "But... you can't leave. Not now."

Lila ducked her head, trying to hide the tears.

"This isn't really about your Mom, is it?" he asked.

"I just need time. We have forever, right?"

Nikola lifted her head, looked into her brown eyes, and said, "Why are such beautiful eyes always filled with tears?"

She cried harder. "Don't."

"Don't go."

"Don't try to make me stay," she pleaded.

Nikola looked at her, kissed her, and took her by the hand to the door. "Promise you'll come back, soon or not." Nikola whispered.

"I promise." _I promise, _she thought.

And then, a kiss.

_This will not be out last kiss._

__END OF PART TWO


	20. Home

PART THREE, LOVE

Home

Lila stopped out of her car. She realized, in retrospect, the sleek black vehicle would not make the ideal impression. It had two guns and three syringes in the glove compartment. She saw Tracey's motorcycle, and itched to give it a try - or maybe crash it into a wall, Lila thought. Despite the fact it was Tracey's, she liked the motorcycle.

Looking up at the squat brown house, which somehow managed to contain two stories, Lila wanted badly to run away. She didn't like this house. This was the house Susan and her had hidden from Tracey in. This was the house she'd stayed in, for months, after Simon died. This was the house she'd run away from when Susan went missing. The house she'd tried her best to melt into the background in, away from her sister.

She took a deep breath, and let it out again in a white cloud. It was cold. She tried not to shiver in her light gray wool jacket. She hadn't really wanted to wear it anyway, but thought it would be better suited to her purpose than her other clothes.

Briefly, Lila considered putting on the leather jacket in the trunk of the car, but then remembered it was actually Nikola's jacket, and was too big for her. And... it was his. She wasn't ready for that quite yet.

Casting a glance down the street, she sighed. The street, which hadn't had all that many people on it before, simply looked lonely. Then, she knocked on the door. After a moment, it was opened by a frowning Tracey. "I didn't think you'd come."

"Oh." Lila said.

Tracey shrugged, and turned away. Lila stepped through after her. It was dark in the hallway. Once she got to the living room, there was light. Her father was standing up. her mother was sitting on the couch.

"You look like you're from Victorian times, with that jacket."

Lila looked hard at Tracey for a long time. _Home sweet home._

*.*_  
_

"Okay. Here's what I don't get." Tracey paced up and down the floor of Lila's apartment.

Lila sighed, flopping back on her bed. "Evidently you don't get how I want you to leave now."

Tracey ignored her. "I didn't even think you'd come. I thought I was the bad kid until you ran away. Then I got a _text _- not even a call - that said Susan was dead and said you might not be coming back soon. And now you have an apartment here, and you got a job at a cafe down the streeet. What's the deal?"

"I really don't want to talk. Get out of my apartment." Lila said.

"No. Tell me what the hell is going on." Tracey insisted.

Lila rolled her eyes. "Look. I'm nothing like you. You barely even know me. I'm here because of Mom ad because I need some time to think. I won't be here forever."

Tracey stared at her. "What happened to you, sis?"

Lila tilted her head. "I'm not proud to be your sister, and you're not proud to be mine. To answer your question - I grew up. Leave it at that, and get the hell out of my apartment."

Her sister nodded slowly, and backed out the door.

Lila stared at the ceiling, already missing him. _If you hadn't left..._ But no, there had been a reason, she had to think things through. Slowly, she reached over and put his jacked on.

*.*

"Nikola." He looked up to see Helen standing in the doorway. He had loved her, he thought, but not the same way he loved Lila now. Now he couldn't imagine a time when, given the choice, he would choose Helen over Lila.

"Yes?" He broke the train of thought.

"I... I have found a way to safely remove our wings," she said.

"It will hurt, I assume." Nikola said.

She nodded slowly. "John already underwent the procedure."

He nodded absently. "I'd be glad to get rid of these things. They remind me of the Cabal." As he stared ahead, Helen leading him to the lab, he wished desperately Lila was by his side.

_I miss you Lila._


	21. Shock

Shock

_Two weeks later_

Lila lay in bed. It was the middle of the night. She rested her head on her elbow.

It had been a stressful two weeks. Her Mom had gone in for an appointment yesterday, which Lila hadn't been notifies of until after the fact. Lila wondered if it had been a slight punishment for being gone all this time._ I don't care._

Yawning, she went back to sleep. Of course, she dreamed of Nikola.

She dreamed of his smile. She dreamed of his eyes. She dreamed about how much she loved him. And then, she dreamed about something she usually dreaded her dreams about. her baby. Their child. Usually, the dreams were terrifying. Usually it felt wrong to dream about something dead which could have been alive. It felt twisted and morbid.

But this time, it didn't. It felt... happy. Strange, but happy. _Maybe this is what it would have felt like?_

Lila blinked open her eyes, feeling a little uncertain about her dream. Sighing, she looked up at the phone. A part of her itched to call Nikola, just to hear his voice. Lila watched in fascination as a call came through. It was him!

She scrambled to pick up the phone. However, the first thing that came out of her mouth was, "Niko! How the hell did you get my phone number?"

Nikola laughed. "Hey. Henry tracked you down."

"Damn HAPS these days." She muttered.

"Is it just me, or did you get a job in a cafe down there?" he asked.

"Believe it or not, I can work a normal job," Lila sighed. "I... I don't think I'll be there long."

"Really?" She could hear the rise of excitement in his voice, and a chair scooting backward.

"As soon as Mom gets better," Lila said.

"So she will get better?" Nikola asked quietly.

"The Doctor says its not as serious as it might have seemed. The results are back in a week, but there's very little doubt, apparently."

"Uh... Lila, I need to talk to you," Nikola said anxiously.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Well, I've been thinking a lot about Dana's plan, and something doesn't quite fit." he said slowly. "She said if we didn't cooperate, somebody close to us would pay dearly. But she couldn't hurt ay of us, we were too valuable."

Lila was silent. "Think it over, genius. I'll be back as soon as I can." And with that, the playful call ended.

*.*

_A week later_

Tracey called. Results were good, and Mom would be better within the week. Five minutes after she hung up, however, Tracey came to the door looking miserable.

"I know you don't want e in your apartment. I know I'm a really bad sister. But my ex is kind of getting his stuff out of my apartment."

Lila rolled her eyes. "Another breakup?"

"He broke up with me," Tracey clarified.

"Ah. Well, um, come in."

*.*

"You've been here for around four weeks and your stuff is already packed." Tracey sighed. It was a rainy afternoon, a week later.

"I'm not leaving today. Maybe tomorrow. I'm not feeling well." Lila said.

"They're going to miss you." Tracey said.

Lila pictured her parents for a moment. Their stiff expressions when she walked in the door. "No they're not."

"They named one of their cats after you," Tracey offered.

"They have cats now?" Lila frowned.

"Yeah, a black one and a white one." Tracey said.

"They never got me a cat," Lila muttered. "Let me guess - they called the black one Lila."

"Well, yes." Tracey admitted. "And they called the white one Rose."

"Who the hell is Rose?"

"Um... I think it was Mom's aunt." Tracey finished lamely.

"Why would they need me when they have a cat?" Lila said, sighing in mock despair. "But as soon as I get better, I'm leaving." Lila got off the edge of the bed.

"Are you okay?" Tracey asked as Lila stumbled. She caught Lila's arm.

"Uh..." Lila sat down again.

"Okay. I'm taking you to the Doctor. Come on, we'll have to take your car."

*.*

The nurse smiled at Lila. Lila waited for the answer, she was tired and for some reason sick.

"There's nothing to worry about honey. In fact, I should congratulate you. You're pregnant."

Lila opened her mouth to talk, but no words came out. She was vaguely conscious of ringing in her ears. She felt like screaming, or maybe laughing, or maybe crying. She really wasn't sure. _Where are you, Nikola? Where are you now? What are you doing? Are you sitting in the library reading a book, are you doing some experiment, are you missing me?_

__Tracey smiled at the nurse. "She's a little shell shocked, that's all. I'll take her home."

Lila sat in complete silence the whole way back. When they got back to the apartment, Lila sat down on the bed. Tracey sat next to her. Lila's breath was coming in fast little pulls. "Tracey, I think I'm going to faint."

"Sh." Tracey wrapped her arms around Lila. "You're going to be okay. You're going to be happy once you get through the shock."

_Where are you?_


	22. Surprises

Surprises

The next morning, Lila woke up to Tracey smiling. "Hey."

"Hey." Lila blinked. A thousand things went running through her mind.

Tracey handed her a hot cup. Taking a sip, Lila frowned. "What is this?"

Tracey laughed. "It's tea."

"Oh." Lila's cheeks flushed. "Is it bad that I've never had tea in my life?"

Tracey shrugged. "Given you have enough caffeine in this house to revive the dodo, I'm not surprised. Toast?"

Lila took the plate suspiciously. "Tracey... why are you, um..."

"Being nice to you?" Tracey said softly. "You're the only sister I've got, and, um, I kind of wondered if we could start over. I know I was horrible -"

"Hell you were," Lila muttered.

Tracey rolled her eyes. "I should say congratulations. And, uh, your outfit was actually kind of nice."

Lila smiled.

"See, I told you you'd be happy. And now, you tell me everything. Everything that happened, everything that doesn't make sense, everything scary, and everything about Mr. Lucky."

Lila gulped. "I'll tell you in the car."

*.*

Lila flipped her cell phone open, Tracey sitting in shock next to her, driving. "Niko?" Lila smiled. "Yeah, I'm on my way.  
"Uh no, I'm with my sister.  
"I'm fine, uh, I just... I'll talk to your once I get there."

Once she hung up, Lila stared ahead. Tracey was driving. 'It's more relaxing,' she had said. Lila had reluctantly agreed.

"Trace, what if he's not -" Lila began.

Tracey rolled her eyes. "I know all, remember?" Her voice got quiet. "He was happy before, right? Before...?"

Lila sniffled involuntarily. "Yes."

"He's really a vampire?" Tracey asked.

"Yes." Lila sighed.

Tracey thought it over. "Completely your business," she decided.

"I love him." Lila said simply.

"Then I trust him," Tracey put a hand on her shoulder.

*.*

Nikola was waiting by the gate. Of course he was. He would always wait for her.

Lila anxiously fiddled with her seatbelt. Tracey looked at Lila, looked at Nikola, and got out of the car. "Do me a favor and be happy." Then she started walking away.

"Wait!" Lila sprang out of the car. "How are you getting home?"

"Bus, probably." Tracey winked. "Don't worry about me."

Lila slowly turned back toward Nikola, then broke into a run threw her arms around him.

Nikola laughed. "Hey."

"Hey," she said breathlessly. Momentarily she had forgotten he didn't know the reason for her sudden burst of affection.

"Thought through how great I am?" Nikola grinned.

"I thought about how much I loved you," Lila replied.

He grinned wider. "Everybody else tries to tell me I'm too arrogant. You just make me more so - you're a bad influence."

Lila rolled her eyes and poked him. "You are arrogant."

"Yes, I am," he said like it was a compliment.

"You know it's what I hate about you," Lila said then.

His expression turned worried. "Really?"

"Teasing," she grinned.

He scowled. "Shut up and let me kiss you."

She grinned again. "It's a deal."

Then he walked her into their room. "Okay. Tell me everything," he said.

"Um." Lila bit her lip.

He waited, hands on hips. Then he crossed them. "What is it?"

"Uh..." Lila couldn't quite seem to find the words.

Nikola narrowed his blue eyes. "Lila?"

She wrung her hands, helplessly at a loss for words.

"Okay." He circled his arms around her, sitting down on the bed. Nikola looked down at her for a long moment. "It's okay. Whatever it is, it's okay."

Lila bit her lip, then rested her head on his shoulder. After a moment, she said, "I'm pregnant."

Nikola went stil for a second. Then he pulled back to look at her. Slowly, he started to grin. "Lila, that's... that's amazing."

She smiled, clearly relieved. "But keep in mind, this does _not_ mean I need to sleep all the time, does not mean I can't do little things for myself, and doesn't mean I'm as fragile as glass."

Nikola rolled his eyes. "Of course." He handed her a cup. "Tea?" he asked.

When she nodded and reached for the teapot, he had already poured it for her. Lila scowled at him while he grinned cockily.

An hour later, Nikola laughed out loud. They had been talking, Lila sitting back against some pillows. She had fallen fast asleep, gradually falling deeper and deeper into the pillows.

"I didn't know I was that boring, darling." he whispered, right next to her ear.

"What?" Her brown eyes slowly opened. "I was sleeping." she muttered crossly.

"Really? I didn't notice. I thought you didn't need to sleep all the time." Nikola snorted.

Lila scowled again. "There really is no getting rid of that grin, is there?"

"Nope. Not now." He smiled over at her. "Not after I just had the best surprise of my life."


	23. Departure

**AN: Don't get worried, don't get worried... I know, you want the fluff, but I need plot too. Fluff comes... in between the plot. Enjoy.**

Departure

_3 months later_

3 months of laughter. 3 months of smiles. 3 months of surprised Sanctuary employees when it turned out there was actually someone Tesla was nice to. 3 months of Helen laughing while Will and Henry complained about Nikola and Lila kissing in the hallways. 3 months of uneasy peace between Nikola and John. 3 months of playful conversations between Lila and Nikola. 3 months of love.

But all the while, something else had been playing through Nikola's mind. Like a spiderweb, waiting like a silver thread. He thought and thought, until something caught on the web. Helen had found a Cabal hideout. Dana and the plan were destroyed, but there were remnants of their force. And there, in that hideout, might be whatever their leverage was. Whatever - or whoever they had planned to use to control them.

Lila lay on her side, watching him. Four months pregnant, if everyone had not know already, it would have been obvious. Everyone had been happy for them - to some extent, and for different reasons.

Helen had just been... happy. Will had been happy for Lila, though she suspected he was psychoanalysing her choices as well. Henry had been excited in general, in a good natured way. Lila wasn't sure if Henry would ever show he was happy for Nikola. Kate had highfived them both. John had nodded and said congratulations, then gone off somewhere. Lila wasn't sure what to make of him.

She resumed watching the solitary figure by the window. Eventually, she got up to stand by him. "What is it?" she asked.

Nikola turned. "Hey beautiful."

"Don't try to avoid the question by flattering me." She put her hands on her hips.

He sighed, turning his face to the floor. "I've been thinking too much."

"About?" Lila prompted.

"The hideout. I feel like it might hold answers."

"You want to go," she guessed.

"I don't want to leave you," he replied evasively.

"How long will you be gone?" She said as though he hadn't spoken. Her voice was a little higher pitched than usual.

"Lila it could take three months - maybe more."

Her eyes widened. "Oh."

A while later, she said, "It's important, isn't it?"

"I don't know. I feel drawn there."

"Go," she said softly. "Be safe. Come back to me."

"Helen will take care of you." His helpless eyes told her he didn't want to go.

"Go," she whispered, and pulled him into a long, sweet kiss in the morning light.

*.*

John and Nikola stood, watching. The base was well concealed, somewhere undergroun.

"So, how do we get in?" John said.

Nikola shook his head. "I'm as clueless as you. I can't see an opening anywhere."

John grated his teeth. "Clueless?"

"I didn't meant it, okay!" Nikola raised his hands. "I wasn't thinking."

"You were thinking of her." His voice softened.

"Yes," Nikola sighed. "I never stop thinking about her."

When John punched him lightly on the arm, Nikola spun around, ready for an assault. But all John said was, "Welcome to love, old boy."

Nikola scowled at John, before he realized the remark had been friendly. He turned back to the field where the base was supposed to be. "We should probably scout the area, no?"

John nodded. "It should be deserted. But we should scout it out. Then head back to Oxford."

They both grinned. Discovering the base was near Oxford had been a pleasant - or mostly pleasant - surprise.

After scouting through the green countryside, they decided it was indeed clear. "Ready?" John asked.

"Ready," Nikola confirmed.

After a moment, they appeared on the edges of Oxford. Declan MacCrae was there to meet there.

"Hello chaps," he began.

"If you call me a 'chap' i will tear your throat out." Nikola growled.

"Ah." Declan continued. "Well. While the main British Sanctuary is in London, we have a small establishment here that you could stay in, while completing your mission." Declan smiled, handed them the address, and stared at Nikola.

Nikola smiled sweetly. When Declan was gone, Jon burst out laughing. "Come on, old boy."

When they appeared there, however, Nikola simply sat down and started desperately missing Lila.


	24. Discoveries

Discoveries

They were watching the field. Moonlight streamed through the field, through the tall stalks of grass and the dark green trees. They had been here for nearly four months. They had watched every area around the field, at every hour, so far. And still, nothing.

Nikola stared at the moon.

"Stop pining," John muttered.

Nikola scowled. "I am not pining."

Suddenly, something caught the corner of John's eye. White, flashing light. "What is that?" he hissed.

"A signal," Nikola replied almost immediately.

"It could just be moonlight reflecting off the rocks," John said, suddenly not sure.

Nikola surveyed the rocks. "John... these rocks aren't normal. They're almost like a cliff. They're shiny, but they have a strange amount of leaves on them, considering there are no trees around them."

"And only a very strong wind, or a man could have put them there." John finished.

Nikola smiled. "Besides, does the moon flash 'ready' in morse code?"

John shook his head. "Let's go."

They grabbed their guns, disappeared, and reappeared on the rocks.

"Tricky little bugger," Nikola cursed. Embedded in the rock was a well hidden code pad. It was flashing. "Okay. There are letters and numbers." Nikola started.

"And a flash button," John added.

"John." Nikola froze. "There are men behind us."

John teleported quickly, before the men could see them. After one of them typed into the code pad, they shot the two men from behind. Nikola stared at the keypad. The letters were fading quickly. The password had been uncompleted, but he still read all that the man had typed in before. "I think I have it," Nikola said. Quickly, he typed in, 'teslaandmagnusproject', then flashed 'ready' in morse code with the flash button.

A hole opened up in the rock. Nikola grinned, and they dropped down into it.

*.*

Two men guarded the tunnel. Nikola threw one against the slick, rough rock walll. John reappeared behind one of them, putting a bullet through his head. They stood, looking at the two dead men for a moment. "They helped Dana hurt Lila," Nikola said.

John nodded, but they moved away from the bloody scene quicly.

After a while, the dark and rough walls of the tunnel turned to shiny white walls. A woman sat crouched next to a computer database. After a moment, she slid to the floor dead.

Nikola moved over her dead body to the computer. After a few minutes of clicking and nreading, Nikola stood up, anger written clearly in his features.

"This is going to sound crazy," he said. "But it's true, and possible. John, they had Ashley here. Until eight months ago. She died in an escape attempt."

"What?!" John's eyes were wide. "How?"

"Their time device. It travelled through not only time, but time _streams_. They went to a time stream where she survived, took her back to this time stream, causing the other time stream to vanish completely."

John closed his eyes. "That was their leverage on Helen and I, until Ashley tried to escape. But what about you and Lila?"

Nikola stayed silent.

Out of the shadows, a girl who very much looked like Lila stepped. "Who are you?" she asked, puzzled.

"It's hard to explain, little one, but we're here to help you out of here," Nikola said gently.

"Ashley tried to leave. Ashley died," she stated.

John looked to Nikola. "Who is this girl?"

Nikola swallowed hard. "She's Lila and I's daughter."

**AN - I know, so short, so short... I might upload two chapters. I'm not sure if I like this chapter, but oh well. Cliffie!**


	25. Returning

**AN: I know, it's been ages. I hope to upload two chapter tonight so you can figure what is going on!**

Returning

"You... you're my father?"

Nikola nodded. "We thought we'd lost you a long time ago."

Within a moment of weighing his words, and looking up and down his face, the black haired girl was running to him and hugging.

He laughed. "Hey." Suddenly he couldn't stop grinning.

John looked sadly at the two, and melted into the background.

A thought struck Nikola. "What's you're name, little one?"

"I don't have a name," she whispered. "They called me a lot of things, but never really a proper name. Do I look like you? I feel like I know you."

Nikola smiled, but thought, _she doesn't even have a name. She doesn't have a name._ Looking down into her eyes, he thought, _Oh._ "You have my eyes," he answered.

The girl smiled. Many thoughts swirled around Nikola's mind. "You were all alone here, with Ashley and the Cabal forces?"

She nodded slowly. "Ashley was very unhappy. Said she'd rather be dead than live like this, but she said she'd try to take care of me. Then she tried to escape, and I was alone here, waiting again."

Nikola said, "You're not going to be alone any more. I'm going to take you home to your Mom, alright?"

The girl nodded. She couldn't explain it, but she felt what she said was true.

"John?" Nikola called.

*.*

Lila paced back and forth.

"Sit down, for heavens sake!" Helen finally said.

Lila shot her an unhappy glance. "Its been four month."

"I know," Helen snapped.

"Then why aren't they back?" Lila asked, wringing her hands.

Helen closed her eyes. "I don't know. Now sit down. You're obviously tired."

"I'm not tired," Lila muttered.

Helen shoved her chair back. "Look." she gritted her teeth. "Pining for him won't make him come back." Four months with Lila had made Helen infuriated. Everybody got along with Lila better than Helen did. She wanted to understand Lila, but seemed to have gotten nowhere.

"Then what will?" Lila stared at Helen.

Helen looked up. "I don't know. They will contact us when they are coming back. In the meantime, I need to do some tests. If you would come to the lab."

Lila shook her head. "No, there must be a way to contact them."

"The Cabal could trace it, and that would endanger them. Now stop acting like a lovesick teenager." Helen sighed.

"Do you know why I hate you?" Lila asked bitterly.

Helen stayed quiet. Lila continued. "I hate you because you have no clue. No clue what it was like to have him love you. To have him say your name in his sleep, sometimes from a nightmare. To have him talk about you with that stupid grin before he knew I loved him. To know he is who he is because of you. You hurt me in more ways than you know, you hurt him in more ways than you or I can know." Lila was silent for a moment. "You've seen more than I have, know more than I ever will, and it's the one thing you have no clue about."

Helen looked into her brown eyes. "I don't how to make it right."

Lila turned to the lab. "Neither do I."

*.*

Lila sat down in the chair. Her legs and back ached. "What do you say, Doc?"

Helen smiled slightly. "Well, I found out why you're so tired."

Lila opened her mouth to say she wasn't tired, but the truth was she was. She felt like going to sleep on the chair in the lab.

"The boy has Nikola's vampire DNA, and your altered DNA, which is taking more of a toll on your system than a normal pregnancy would," Helen said.

"It's a boy?" Lila asked, registering the first thing Helen said. She'd decided to wait until Nikola got back to find out, but now she knew. _He's going to be so excited,_ she thought. _Where are you now? _"Is everything going to be okay?" Lila asked nervously after Helen nodded.

"Everything will be alright," Helen smiled. "You need to sleep, that's all."

Lila nodded. "Thank you." She walked back to her bed, and sunk into a dream of Nikola. Leaving Helen wondering how to make things right.

*.*

In the morning, the phone rang. Lila sleeping picked it up. "Hi?"

"Lila." It was Nikola's voice.

"Niko!" She grinned.

"Hey," Nikola smiled. "We're coming back now."

Lila was smiling so much she couldn't stop. "Then get off the phone already!"

There was a click, and she ran out into the hallway. In a second, she looked over every detail of his face. Oblivious to anything else in the world, she ran straight into his arms.


	26. Hello Again

Hello Again

Lila buried her head in Nikola's shoulder. She wanted to stay like that forever, and never let him go. His hand glided through her hair, holding her tight. His other hand rested on her shoulders. Nikola whispered, "Hello."

Lila grinned. "Hello again."

His eyes held hers, and for a moment there was nothing else in the world but the soft hazel-brown of her eyes. Then, the world returned. This time, however, the world returning was not a disappointment. Nikola moved his hand down to her stomach. He felt a tremor of movement.

She leaned up, and whispered, "It's a boy."

Nikola grinned, but then it softened. He was still smiling, but a shadow of something else crossed his face.

He moved away, and for a moment she wanted to grab his hand and pull him back. It felt unusually cold without him there. Then, her eyes narrowed. John stood to one side. But behind Nikola, stood a girl. She had her hands clasped, bouncing slightly on her heels. Her long black hair was tied back in a ponytail, but a thick lock had slipped out and was doggedly hanging in front of her face.

Lila bit her lip. "Niko...?" The first instinct she had was an impossible hope.

She felt his hot breath on the back of her neck as he explained, quickly. "She's out daughter. The Cabal travelled through timestreams, to a timestream where... where she survived. Where I saved you. But on the way back, Dana froze the mission. She manipulated the time travel device, aging everyone inside by around ten years, to suit her purposes. She's 13, she's been with them 3 years. Helen's daughter, Ashley, was with her until around when we were captured, dying in an escape attempt."

Lila nodded. Helen had talked about Ashley. She worried what Helen's reaction would be.

"John's telling Helen," Nikola said. Lila realized John was gone. Her eyes settled back on the girl... their daughter. Rapidly, she realized she didn't care about Dana, or the Cabal, or time travel, or the past. All she cared about was her daughter, her son, and Nikola. And, as she heard a suppressed sob from the hallway, she realised she cared about Helen, too - in a strange way.

"Come here," Lila said, in a softer voice than Nikola had ever heard her use. Her fingers slowly beckoned. The girl ran into her arms. "Mom?" her tiny voice came.

"I'm here," Lila whispered. "I'll never leave you." Then, she stared at the girl's hair. "You don't like having it tied back, do you?" Lila guessed.

She shook her head. Slowly, Lila slid the hair band off. She buried her head in Lila's shoulder.

Lila squeezed her eyes shut, but the tears came anyway.

*.*

_One month later_

"Char" Nikola protested as the squishy ball hit him in the head.

"Sorry," Char said. They'd called her Charlotte. Charlotte Ashley Tesla. Nikola had preferred his shortened version, Char. Lila has shaken her head, and given up. She knew how stubborn Nikola was.

Now Lila laughed. "She inherited your bad throwing skills."

Nikola glared. "I don't have bad throwing skills."

"Only when it comes to an innocent activety - you're very good at throwing in a lethal way." Lila caught a badly aimed throw from Nikola. She sighed when he pouted, and threw the ball to Char. Char threw it, hitting Nikola in the chest.

Nikola stared indignantly at Char, then threw the ball, on purpose this time, high above her head. "Hey," she called unhappily.

The ball rocketed off the wall. And over Nikola's head, much to his dismay. And toward the door. And into Helen's hand. She smiled. She was not quite back to her normal self, but she would recover. "Be careful, Nikola. You might kill the wall."

Nikola rolled his eyes. "Do you want to play?" Helen shook her head. "There's a thunderstorm coming, apparently. Best to go to bed early tonight." she looked at Char.

Char frowned. She didn't like going to bed early. And the thunder rolled outside the darkened window.

*.*

"Tell me a story?" Char asked.

"What kind of story?" Nikola prompted.

"Tell me the one about when you went with Aunt Helen to wake the vampire queen up."

He laughed nervously. "We didn't mean to wake her up, Char. Ask Auntie Helen to tell it to you - she'll tell it better than I will."

Char pouted, but Nikola only said goodnight. He opened the door to Lila's room. "Lila? Did you call me in?"

"Niko... the baby's coming."

**AN - Cliffie!**


	27. Love

Love

Lila lay on her back, on the bed. Nikola crossed the room quickly, eyes wide in alarm. "Is Char okay?" Her next questioin surprised him.

"She's fine. She's in bed." Nikola kissed her on the forehead. "Are you okay?"

Lila nodded. "My water hasn't broken yet. I was reading, and then I felt a pain and I couldn't get up."

"Okay." He sat down next to her, moving a strand of hair away from her face. Her smaller hand found his, and squeezed. He smiled, although she couldn't see it in the dark room, and squeezed back.

She must have drifted off to sleep, because she was woken up by Nikola's hand on her shoulder and a spasm of pain in her stomach. She came wide awake.

"Sh, it's okay. I'm taking you to the infirmary, and getting Helen." He picked her up gently and carried her into the infirmary. After a moment, Helen came into the room with Nikola. Lila was scared, Helen knew, even if she wouldn't show it.

*.*

Hours later, she was screaming. Nikola held her hand tight. Inside, he was terrified. What if something went wrong? He wasn't sure Lila or he could take it. He couldn't help his other hand from shaking.

"Nikola, you're more scared than she is!" Helen snapped.

"I can't help it!" Nikola growled, in complete honesty.

"Go out and do something useful." Helen said. "You're making it worse."

Nikola swallowed, shame burning in the back of his throat. "What can I do?"

"Go out and talk to your terrified daughter." Helen instructed.

Wide eyed in shock, Nikola realized Char was outside. He squeezed Lila's hand, and walked out to Char. She was crouched, holding her knees close to her, against the wall. Nikola sat down next to her.

"Is Mom going to be okay?" Char asked.

"She'll be fine," Nikola prayed it was true. Char leaned over, her head on Nikola's shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her.

"Are you going to send me back to bed?"

"No," he promised. "Stay here all night if you want. It's where I'll be all night."

Char nodded. "I'm staying here."

*.*

Yet more hours, in the overcast morning, the screams stopped. Char was dozing on Nikola's shoudler, but shook herself awake. Nikola got up slowly, Char following on shaky legs.

Helen opened the door, looking as unruffled as she always did. "Nikola, come in." She smiled at Char as Nikola swept over to Lila's side.

Lila was lying with her knees up under a sheet. In her arms, there was a baby. Nikola's breath caught, he couldn't help it. Char, behind him, said, "He's beautiful."

Lila's eyes fluttered a couple of times before she focused. She smiled. "Yes, he is, Char." She wished she'd seen Char when she was that small, but all that mattered was that she was here now. Despite her best efforts to keep her eyes open, they slid shut. Nikola smiled, and picked her up. He laid her down on the bed, and watched her sleep.

*.*

_2 weeks later_

Lila sat on the edge of the bed, putting toys in the white crib.

"Lila, you're having more fun with the toys than the baby." Nikola laughed.

Lila scowled. "It wasn't my idea to get a vampire doll."

"And it's not my fault it's his favorite toy!" Nikola grinned.

Lila rolled her eyes. "Point conceded. Darren's having fun too."

Nikola looked in the crib. He'd always liked that name. "I didn't say he wasn't have fun." He shrugged, moving back to the suitcase in the corner of the room.

"Would you like to stop going through my stuff now?" Lila asked pointedly.

"No. Why do you have a CD of waltzing music?" Nikola continued.

"The same reason I have a pink hairbrush - I don't know. It's old stuff my sister sent."

"I thought you had the hair brush because somewhere inside of you there's an innocent seven year old girl." Nikola smirked at her scowl. He put the CD into a clunky CD player. "Will you dance, my lady?" He held his hand out.

Lila smiled, took his hand, and began to dance. Always looking into his eyes, as he was looking into hers.

They'd made mistakes, everything had gone wrong, but somehow they'd found each other, after it all.

END OF PART THREE

**AN - Part Four, coming soon, is all flash backs. Review and tell me what you thought please!**


	28. Fear and Tears

PART FOUR, THESE THINGS

Fear and Tears

She was five. Tracey, 7, chased her down the stairs. "Leave us alone!" Tracey complained.

"Why?" Lila turned back, brown eyes wide.

"Me and Jack want to talk alone!" Tracey stated harshly.

"Fine." Lila sat down down on the bottom of the stairs. "But what if-"

"Lila!" Tracey shrieked in frustration.

"What?" The small child asked, slightly afraid. Why was her sister yelling?

"The monsters are coming! Hide under the table, I'll tell you when it's safe!" Tracey said quickly.

"Mom says monsters aren't-"

"Mommy can't see them," Tracey whispered, cutting her off.

Lila yelped, and ran under the table. Tracey ran up the stairs, to the waiting boy up top. "Isn't she stupid?" she snickered. "Oh, there's a nice view from the window in here."

Jack said something in response Lila couldn't hear. Crouching under the wooden table in the dining room, she stared up the stairs. She sat up, knees clutched to her chest, for maybe half an hours. She was afraid to move. _Why did she say I was stupid?_ Lila wondered remotely. It was in the back of her mind, until she faced the truth. Tracey was giggling upstairs, probably from a game she and Jack were playing.

Slowly, she crawled out from under the table. Standing up, she looked around anxiously. There were no monsters.

Sighing, Lila walked to the stairs, dragging her feet. She sat down on the white carpet stairs. Lila hung her head. _I am stupid._ She clenched her tiny fists and began to cry. Softly, so no one would hear.

*.*

Lila was 10 years old. She pushed her scooter out of the driveway, determined to catch Tracey and Jack who were ahead. She didn't look at the elegant, tall blue house with the rose garden behind her. The house she'd lived in for 8 years. They'd moved from a small apartment she didn't remember when she was 2.

She pushed off, down the street with all the pretty houses. But she wasn't paying attention today. She felt the wind rush through her hair. She rounded a corner, squinting against the sudden rush of afternoon sunlight. Then, the wheels began to skid.

The next minute, stinging pain shot through her knees and the palms of her hands. Lila whimpered at the impact and the stinging pain. She gingerly inspected her hands. They were red, and raw, and the stinging pain had turned to a throbbing pain.

Standing up hurt, and after two attempts she gave up. Her knees were skinned, and she thought they might be bleeding. Lila looked around the sunlit street, considering her options.

Tracey and Jack wouldn't be back this way, they were looping back around to the house. It was a Sunday afternoon, but if anyone was home on this street, it looked like they didn't care.

Slowly, she lowered between her knees on the rough, black concrete. And cried.

Half an hour later, she walked stiffly into the kitchen. Her mother, Anna, walked over. "Lila, where were you? Tracey and Jack were back 40 minutes ago, you were supposed to be back with them."

Lila opened her mouth. "I..." she shut it again. Did she want to look like an idiot? "It doesn't matter." She trudged up the stairs, knees still stinging.

*.*

_4 years later_

"I can't believe we're leaving," Anna sighed. She bent forward, picking up another box. Her auburn hair came back to normal as she stood up.

"Yeah," Lila said, wishing she had her mother's hair. Both she and Tracey had black hair.

"James, do we really have to leave?" Anna asked as Lila's father came down the stairs.

James nodded. "We're renting a place nearer my new job. I'm sure we'll be happy there."

"I don't want to leave," Anna muttered.

"We're leaving." So they got in the van, and drove away.

*.*

Lila sat in her room. She didn't like it. She definitely didn't like it. Everything was the same, bright, white. It was cold. She could feel the floor boards under the thin carpet. The bed creaked whenever she moved. The long mirror near the door seemed determined to make her look as pale and ragged as possible. The stairs from the upstairs to the downstairs felt like they would collapse at any moment. And her bedroom window was higher up than she thought any window should be. There were 10 floors below them. Lila looked around, trying to like her room. She knew the stairs wouldn't collapse, and there wasn't really a murderer hiding in her closet, as she vaguely suspected there might be.

Tracey knocked on the door. "Hey, Lila, do you want to go to a party? Come down in 20 minutes."

Lila sighed. Tracey had spent at least an hour talking to the neighbour's 17 year old son.

Looking in the mirror, she thought, _Okay. Go out. Make some new friends. Or run away because everyone there is 5 years older than you and flirting with your sister._

She walked downstairs, after changing into different clothes. She knocked on the door of their neighbour's apartment. No one answered, so she pushed the door open. Loud music was playing, typically. Tracey smiled. "Hey Lila! This is Simon. He's 14 like you. Simon, this is Lila. She has tragically underdeveloped social skills. You don't have to talk to her. Bye!"

Lila silently cursed, looking at her shoes. "Hey," Simon's voice came.

She looked up, and her breath caught.


	29. First Kiss

First Kiss

"Lila, is it?" He asked.

"Um, yeah." She stared at his green eyes, and his messed up looking brown hair. She liked his hair. She liked his eyes. And she liked his smile. And... he was waiting for her to say something else. "So, do you live around here?"

"Down the block. You live right next door?"

"Um, yeah." She said again.

"How's city life treating you?" Simon asked.

"Well, we've only been here a day," she answered half heartedly.

"Really?" he laughed. "Your sister found a party quick. She is your sister, right?"

"What, did you think she was my Mom?" Lila asked dryly.

Simon laughed again. "No. Well, Lila, with tragically underdeveloped social skills, and a social butterfly for a sister. I can remember that."

"Yeah. Great." She turned toward the door.

"Whoa, whoa, it was a joke!" he protested.

She turned back. "It wasn't funny."

"Well, they always did say my jokes were awful. "For an example, knock knock."

Lila rolled her eyes. "Who's there?"

"Simon."

"Simon who?" She sighed.

"Simon doesn't want you to know his last name."

Lila wrinkled her nose. "How is that funny?"

"It's not. Punch?" he asked.

Lila stared at the punch. "Maybe not."

"Cautious, I like it. There's no alchochol." He offered her the cup.

"Thanks," Lila said quietly.

An hour later, Tracey came over. "Beer, anyone?"

Lila rolled her eyes, and shook her head. "I think we should go _home,_ Tracey."

Tracey shook her head. "No way."

Simon laughed. "I think I'll leave now, too. See you round, Lila?"

"See you around," she said, smiling.

_A year later_

Lila laughed. Simon grinned. "I finally made you laugh."

She smiled. They were sitting on her bed. Subconsciously, she rested her head on his shoulder. There was a moment of silence. then, Simon put his hands on her shoulders. He whispered, "Lila, I want to ask you something."

"Anything." She grinned.

"Be my girl?"

Her eyes widened. She spun around, and without a work kissed him. It was a first kiss. Sweet, passionate, Lila leaned deeper into him. "Yes," she whispered. "Forever."

*.*

"Susan!" she practically shouted into the phone.

"Geez, Lila, I can hear you. What is it?"

"He kissed me! He kissed me!" Lila exclaimed.

"Who?" Susan asked curiously.

"Simon!" Lila said.

"Oh, the boy you've been talking about day and night for a year. Him." Susan laughed. "Did he ask you out?"

"Yes!"

"Okay. Tell me everything." Susan said. "And then say I can come over to your house at 5."

"What about telling you you can come over, then telling you everything?" Lila asked.

"No." Susan said firmly.

"Okay. Well, you can come over anyway." Lila said.

"You're not allowed to tell me that until later!" Susan laughed.

"You're distracting me."

"Sorry! So very sorry!"

*.*

Lila sat on the edge of her bed. She was 18. She'd dated Simon for 3 years, and tonight she wanted something else. She waited for him to come through the door, the way she knew he would. He would open it, walk through, close it, and then look her. And then he would smile, and walk towards her. He always did the same thing. He would hold her close, and kiss her, and look into her eyes.

She bounced slightly up and down on the bed, tapping her foot. She looked at the mirror. Then she looked away, she hated the mirror. 4 years later, and she still hated it. The room was more colorful, but she still hated the mirror. She wore a white dress with thin straps at the shoulders, which would have looked nice in any mirror but that mirror.

Then, Simon walked through the door. He came to the bed, and grinned. "Lila."

"Simon." She wrapped her arms around his waist. His eyes travelled down her dress. "You look gorgeous."

"The mirror doesn't agree," she said.

"The mirror doesn't know what it's saying," he smiled, and kissed her.

Lila moaned slightly. "I want you," she whispered in his ear.

Simon looked into her brown eyes for a moment, and then slowly began to slide the straps off her shoulders. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you. I always will."


	30. I Will Always Need You

**IMPORTANT - So, some of the flashbacks I already wrote come inbetween the flashbacks I'm writing now. If you see some words in italics before the chapter, they're telling you that a flashback just happened.**

**AN - You know what's going to happen...**

I Will Always Need You

_Chapter 14, First Flashback_

Lila lay on her side, still fuming. "She did that on purpose."

"No, she didn't." Simon sighed. He kissed her shoulder. "Does she really matter?"

Lila smiled, and turned over. "How is it you always make me calm?"

"Always?" Simon asked innocently as his hands travelled down her body.

She rolled her eyes. "No."

Simon began to tickle her stomach. "Always?"

"No!" Lila laughed.

His hand came up onto her chest as he squeezed. "Always?"

"No!" She said, still laughing hard.

Finally, he laughed too. "Good."

She leaned her head on his shoulder, running her hands over his chest. He trailed kisses over her collarbone, hands moving in slow circles over her hips. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours. Lila felt warm, comfortable - the feeling she didn't want to describe as warm and fuzzy.

"I should go." he said eventually.

Lila sighed. "I know."

Simon kissed her gently on the forehead. "Sometimes I won't have to go. We'll get an apartment somewhere, soon."

Lila smiled. "I like that idea. Tracey's been lobbying to move out for ages, but my parents want to keep us as long as they can, I guess."

"Tell them they don't have to worry. I'l take care of you." He slipped his jeans and shirt on.

"You always do," she called out fondly as he walked toward the door.

*.*

_Six months later_

The movie theater was dark, and chilly. Lila wore Simon's jacket. As the credits rolled to an end, Simon, Lila, and Susan were the only ones left in the movie theater.

Simon got up slowly. Lila followed. Susan bounced to her feet. "That was a great movie. Apart from the bit at the end where the girl just got a new boyfriends instead of working her issues with her ex out."

"Yeah, but her ex was an incredibly dangerous man with a lust for blood!" Lila pointed out.

"But he only killed people to protect her." Susan complained.

Lila shuddered. "I wouldn't ever date someone like that. Oh, Simon, how do you put up with these girly movies?"

"I thought it was about depression, violence, and a murder mystery."

"No, it was about dating." Lila corrected him.

"Whatever you say, sweetheart." He kissed her on the forehead.

"You guys are better than a movie." Susan chimed in.

Lila laughed, and pulled him in for a deeper kiss.

*.*

_Chapter 14, Second Flashback_

The world's noise around her faded. She knelt on the stairs, staring down to the floor of the mall. Where his body was. She didn't run down like Susan did. She knew he was dead. A tiny glimmer of hope rose in her, but she pushed it away.

"Simon..." Lila gasped at the sudden wave of pain his name brought. _He's gone. He's gone forever._

Lila could hear her breathing, and her heartbeat. _No. No. No._

Simon couldn't be gone. Not her Simon. They'd been going to get an apartment. Someday, they'd been going to get married. There were a thousand little things they'd wanted to do together. She wanted to see his smile, the little flash in his eyes when he looked at her. She wanted to see him toss his hair out of his face. She wanted to have him embrace her. She wanted to go back to the first time she saw him, leaning against a table with a cup of punch in his hand. She wanted to go back to their first kiss. she wanted to go back to all the times they'd talked, the times they'd argues, the times they'd shared their dreams for the future.

_Never. Never again. _The realization choked her worse than the tears she knew would come.

Susan rushed up to Lila, where she was kneeling with her forehead against the stairs. "Oh, Lila... I'm so sorry." Susan didn't ask Lila to get up, or tell her it would be okay. Susan knew nothing would be okay for Lila for a long time. "I'm so sorry." She wrapped her arms around Lila. There was nothing else she could say.

Lila, hunched over, couldn't control the emotions swirling around her. _I need you. I need you so bad._

Lila began to cry. _I need you so much. I always needed you, even before I met you. I always will need you. __  
_

Lila gasped, and choked, and cried until she couldn't cry anymore.


	31. Nothingness

**AN - I personally am not sure about this chapter, but anyway. Next chapter we get Nikola!**

Nothingness

_One month later_

Lila sat on the edge of the stairs, looking down. She was 19. She was alone in the house. It was a late afternoon, and it was dark in the house. Lila hadn't bothered to turn any lights on. She'd been reading. Lila had been reading the only books she read, now. Tragic romance. She'd thrown away the old books. Everything. She'd gotten rid on of all of her bright clothes. It wasn't a conscious decision, she just didn't want to wear them or read those books anymore. They didn't fit with who she was anymore.

When she'd looked up from her book, it was shadowy and dark in the house. She'd walked quietly to the edge of the stairs.

Lila sighed, and put her head in her hands. Wearing jeans and a black t-shirt, no makeup, hair unbrushed, not getting enough sleep, she looked half dead. _This isn't what he would want,_ a small voice of reason in the back of her mind said. _He's gone._ She thought then. _There's nothing else to do. Nothing to do with my life anymore._

Lila looked in the mirror at the bottom of the stairs. _I don't want to live anymore. I don't want to live without you._

Lila stood up, weighing her options. She was alone, completely alone. No Susan. No Tracey. No Anna or James.

No Simon. He would never be here again.

There was the easy way out. There was always the easy way out. Even if she walked away from it today, she didn't think throughout her whole, empty life, she could walk away from it.

And then... she could become the person Simon had loved again.

She didn't think she could do either of those things. Lila sighed, and walked into her room again. She began to brush her hair. Slowly, she sorted through her old makeup. Some things she threw on the floor, others she carefully applied.

_There,_ she thought, looking in the mirror. _I don't look dead anymore._ _I might be dead inside, but I don't look it. _Lila knew it wouldn't really do anything, but maybe if she faked living for long enough, she would be to live without him. It didn't stop the nothingness she felt inside, because inside she knew she was still the girl who screamed from her nightmares at night.

*.*

_Six months later_

Susan was gone. Lila packed her things. She didn't care what anyone said.

Tracey opened her door. "Don't go."

"Why? You never cared." Lila answered bluntly.

"She's gone missing. You can't find her," Tracey said.

"You don't know that. I knew her better than you ever did. I know what she talked about before she went missing. I know that someone have hurt her, or killed her even. Her career was dangerous, Tracey. She got too deeply involved." Lila said.

"Involved in what?" Tracey asked, exasperated.

"I can't tell you. I just know that she might be alive, and that if she is she needs my help." Lila stood up, pulling her silver suitcase. "Goodbye, Tracey."

Lila swung the door shut behind her.

Tracey hung her head, alone in the room.

*.*

Lila laughed. She laughed hard. 21, she found out about Susan a long time ago. She got into the wrong place, at the wrong time, and then she had disappeared. The Cabal had killed her. She knew about abnormals, and if anyone knew what she knew, they'd think she was insane. The Cabal was after Lila now, but she didn't care. She didn't care about anything much anymore. Her cousin, more like a sister, was dead. Her body had lied in some back alley after her dream, to be a scientist, had gone wrong. And no one found her. Lila hadn't found her. No one ever would. Susan, with her dark brown hair, always plaited, lively green eyes, always kind and encouraging, was gone. Simon was gone.

And who was left? Lila. Lila was left alone.

The man opposite her was drinking from a bottle of champagne. Sandy blonde hair, down past his shoulders, tall, attractive, she grabbed the bottle of champagne from him. Music played loudly, but she didn't really bother to pick out any words or melody from it.

"Hey, pretty girl, I just met you this evening." He said.

"I know," she whispered confidentially.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" He slurred.

Lila laughed harder. "Never, my friend, never. I'm never going to be anyone's girlfriend." She grabbed his shoulders, and kissed him hard. "I'll be yours tonight," she hissed.

*.*

She lay on her back the next morning, head pounding.

Dave... she thought that was his name... sat up on the bed. "What's a pretty girl like you doing living this kind of shitty life?" he asked.

Lila laughed again. "I'll live whatever kind of fucking life I want."

"I can take care of you." He said.

"Oh my god. You were actually serious when you asked me to be your girlfriend." Lila's eyes were wide, although she was staring at the ceiling.

"Well, I was drunk, but yes. Not long term, these things never are. I like you, Lila." He said off handedly.

Lila cracked up, rolling on her side, laughing. "I like you too, Dave. The truth is, if your second cousin had showed up last night, I would probably be lying in bed with him this morning. I don't give a fuck."

"I'll take care of you," he promised.

She kept on laughing. Life was crazy. Death made sense. But life was a game to play, even if it was filled with nothingness.


	32. Who We Are

**AN - Enjoy.**

Who We Are

It had lasted six months. Longer than Lila had expected. Longer than Dave had expected. Two weeks ago, Lila had walked into his apartment. He'd been fucking another girl. Silently, she had walked out of his apartment. She didn't really care, but here he was, being 'honorable'. She still didn't care.

"Lila, I'm in another relatioinship. We knew it wouldn't last, but I'm sorry." Dave said.

"I don't care. About you, or the busty blonde you were fucking." Lila said coolly.

He gaped at her for a moment. "Lila, I'm breaking this off. Now."

Lila shrugged, rolling her shoulders. "I never cared, Dave."

He nodded slowly, and backed out of her apartment.

Leaving her watching, with a completely blank face.

*.*

He was handsome, she observed. Lab coat, slightly ruffled hair, a little psychotic but attractive grin. He spread his hands wide. "Assuming you have no problem with world domination.

She watched him for a long moment. "I don't give a fuck about anything in the world. Your psychotic hobbies are none of my business."

Shock registered on his face for a moment. "And you are?"

"Lila," she said coolly.

"I'm Nikola." He grinned again. She shuddered slightly, and prayed he hadn't seen it. She liked his grin, but she liked it in the way that she knew would eventually get her killed, badly. The way that five seconds in, she was already too in love for her own good.

She calculated her options. He was definitely some kind of abnormal, probably dangerous, the Cabal were after him for a reason, and well, she didn't give a fuck.

"There's a room upstairs. Apart from mine, obviously. You can stay there if you want." He yawned. "You can help me in the lab." Nikola looked doubtfully at her for a moment. "I don't like company very much."

"Likewise," Lila assured him.

Nikola nodded, and walked out of the room, leaving her shaking inside.

*.*

Despite him not liking company, he was having dinner with Lila. Nikola desperately tried not to think of it as 'having dinner' with her. Nikola sighed. This girlw as none of his business, her unrufflable exterior had to hide something, but he didn't know what, and would never know what. He pushed away all the other thoughts in his mind, most of which were not at all gentlemanly, and walked through the door. A fresh wave of lust hit him as he saw her. _Oh God. Why?_ was all he could think. Why did this have to happen to him? Helen was the one he loved, not Lila. He hadn't seen Helen in 60 years. It wasn't love he was feeling, it was lust. He knew that.

"Well, Nikola." Lila said haltingly. "You have a lot of wine in your house."

Nikola winced slightly. "I can't get drunk," he said without thinking.

"Why?" Lila asked smoothly.

He looked at her, silent.

"We all have our secrets," she said quietly.

"Mine would scare you to death," Nikola's voice dropped.

"Try me," Lila said casually, smiling.

"I'm a vampire. Not the stupid things everyone talks about now on TV, a real vampire." His eyes bored into her.

"And are you going to kill me?" She tilted her head.

"No," Nikola looked away.

"Then I don't-"

"Give a fuck?" he guessed.

"Exactly," she leaned forward. Nikola thought she did it in a very seductive way.

Without a thought, or a warning, he transformed, and stood up, banging his hands on the table. "You're not scared, little girl?"

She looked at him calmly. "No." To tell the truth, her heart was beating hard and fast in her chest, but not from fear.

He sat down at the table, becoming human again, looking slightly dejected. Ten minutes later, Lila got up from the table. "I can see why you try to act scary all the time. You have horrendous social skills."

"Ah, my dear Lila," He grinned in an alluring way. "Who are we but the acts we play?"

"No one," she whispered.


	33. Without You

Without You, Part One

_2 weeks later_

Lila stared out of the window, bored. She tapped her fingers. She was 25. She'd spent 3 years of her life, after Dave moving from place to place. She'd worked in cafes. Offices. A library, once. But when the work day ended, she was someone entirely different. Whether it was a young woman, fearful of the Cabal, or a girl who's relationships lasted for once night, while she was drunk. She'd become a little too like Tracey for her liking.

Here, the work day never ended. Lila was constantly on guard around Nikola. He was dangerous, she knew that. He also might be her best chance at survival. Possibly. Lila could leave, find another, more permanent job and wait for the Cabal to catch her. But... she titled her head back. The thought of her life without the dark haired scientist, the dangerous vampire, the mysterious shadows in the back of her mind, with his blue eyes, and his captivating grin, the way a thrill went through her when he was close... without him, it seemed empty. Lila couldn't image her life without him.

Lila sighed. She was already completely wrapped up in Nikola, so completely enthralled, no matter how unachievable or dangerous he was, leaving was not an option.

Lila let her head rest on the edge of the table, feeling desire pounding through her.

*.*

_A week later_

"So boss, what's our objective?" Lila leaned against a wall, gun in hard.

Nikola looked around the dark warehouse warily. "We're getting some very exclusive technology. As soon as they see us, and we've made the deal, they'll shoot us and run. We have to shoot them first."

Lila thought about it a for a moment. Her thoughts, however, were on how good Nikola looked in leather.

"Stay back here. If any backup comes, shoot. They won't expect you to be here. If anything goes wrong, find me." He looked at her for a moment, fighting to keep his eyes on her face. "You've never shot anyone, have you?"

Lila shook her head slowly.

"Hopefully you won't have to," Nikola's voice was quiet, and he stood very close to her. Nikola looked into her eyes. Her heart beat hard, harder than she thought it could have. Lila knew he could hear it, but she stayed looking straight into her eyes.

When he was gone, her heart still pounded so hard she couldn't think of anything but how badly she would him.

The shooting started. Lila looked both ways along the dark corridor. She tried to steady her breathing. Suddenly, Lila heard Nikola yelling. "LILA!"

Lila spun around, and felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Looking down, she saw blood spreading over her front. _Nikola._ She thought as she fell to the floor. Lila heard the man who shot her's neck snap, and then Nikola rushed over to her, picking her up in his arms.

*.*

Lila stared at the white ceiling. Nikola had laid her down on the bed in one of the labs downstairs, underground. She knew sometimes he fell asleep downstairs. Finally, Lila's eyes found his.

"Lila," he said softly.

"Nikola." The pain throbbed through her insides.

Nikola looked nervously at her.

Lila rolled her eyes. "Whatever it is you have to do, do it." Nikola nodded, and before she knew what was happening, he was sliding her shirt off.

"Nikola! What the hell?" Lila slapped his hand.

Impatience burned in his eyes. He gritted his teeth, wincing. She had slapped him fairly hard. "Lila, I have to clean and bandage your wound. Your wound is between your stomach and your chest. I can't clean it through your shirt, now can I? I don't usually bring wounded girls back here just to undress them."

Nikola slid her shirt off. He tried not to focus on her bra. "Lila, this is going to hurt a hell of a lot. You could bleed to death, either way. The bullet didn't puncture any organs, luckily. I don't want to give you any anaesthetic, it's too risky."

Lila's hand found his. He smiled sadly at her. She closed her eyes. If she was going to die, she might as well hold his hand.

And then he began to cut the bullet out. Lila screamed. And screamed over and over again. The searing pain consumed her completely, the world was a flash of blue eyes, pain, blood, and without him, she knew she could not live through it.


	34. Without You Pt 2

**AN - I know it's short!**

Without You, Pt 2

Nikola stared at Lila, her eyelids closing. A pang of fear shot through him. Nikola pushed it away. _She needs to sleep._ He ran his hand over her hair. Lila twitched in her sleep, and a low moan escaped her lips.

Slowly, though he knew it was an irrational impulse, he her slowly and gently up against him. Nikola looked at her, long and hard. "I don't want to lose you," Nikola whispered. He couldn't quite explain it, but at the moment, he didn't have to. Slowly, Nikola's lips came toward hers. When his face was inches from hers, Lila's eyes opened. Without thought, they kissed. Lila forgot where she ended and he began, his hands in her hair, his lips on hers, so close to him. Her eyes closed. The pain vanished, her hands came around both sides of his face, and she forgot everything else.

Until he came away. She tried to pull him back, but he just held her. Lila made a soft noise of protest. Everything spun around. She couldn't focus on anything, remember anything apart from the fact that she needed him. It wasn't just that she wanted him to hold her and kiss her, she needed him with her.

*.*

Lila's head rested in Nikola's lap. He sighed. He didn't know what had happened, what would happen. What he was even feeling for her. What she felt for him. All he knew what he couldn't lose her. Nikola wasn't sure why he cared so much, many, many humans had died over his lifespan. Something about Lila opened up something inside him. She frustrated him, she made him angry, she distracted him, she intrigued him, she... she did everything no one should be able to do to him. She rattled him, she opened his heart, she made him reach out, she did something he couldn't quite explain. And now, what if he lost her?

Nikola looked down at her. He would never know. Slowly, he began to cry.

*.*

"So boss, can I get out of bed now?" Lila sat up in bed, Nikola working at a desk near her.

"What?" He looked up, startled.

"Um... the hospital bed..." Lila said, suddenly feeling awkward.

"Oh, yes. You've healed significantly." Nikola said, staring at her.

"Well, having significantly healed, I guess I'll head up to the lab. What creepy little morbid experiment have you got this time?" She asked, sliding out of the bed.

"No, you should still rest. Have some time to yourself." Nikola said.

"That morbid, huh?" Lila grinned. "Okay." After a moment, she added. "Nikola, did anything... happen... while I was injured?" Lila looked straight into his eyes. "Did I do anything odd?"

Nikola looked away. "No, nothing I can remember. You were asleep most of the time."

"Okay. Thanks." Lila left. She knew he had lied.

*.*

_Two months later_

__"Stop working," her hands worked their way under his lab coat.

Nikola spun around from the project he had been working on. "My, my, Lila, I didn't know you were so impatient."

"You've been up here two days. Straight." Lila began sliding his lab coat off, massaging his shoulders.

"I hit a wall." Nikola sighed.

"Literally or figuratively?" Lila wondered.

"Both," he grimaced.

"Well, you just need some inspiration," she whispered.

"Lila, can you hold this for a moment?" he handed her an electrical part.

"Sure." She slipped away from him. "If you promise to get some rest afterwards."

"I thought you-"

"I didn't say what you would be doing after you'd rested." Lila grinned.

He smiled at her. "Vixen."

"Vampire. Come on, let's get this crazy electrical project running." Lila said.

"Ah, what would I do without you?"


	35. Heartbeat

**AN - So, at the end, it get a little more M-rated, but not that much.**

Heartbeat

"Nikola, are you sure about this?" Lila asked.

Nikola nodded. Stay back. This oculd have harmful side effects."

Lila studed the contraption Nikola had devised. "What is this supposed to do again?"

"It's a database, essentially. But it will store electrical memories." Tesla grinned. "It monotors any kind of electric pulses, and records them. Radio waves, weapons, anything."

Lila let out a deep breath. "What if something happens to you?"

Nikola waved a hand. "I'll be fine." He lowered his hand over a smooth plate and slowly, electric current began to flow.

Every time she saw it, she thought it was amazing. Lila smiled at the light in his eyes. Suddenly, Lila saw the air ripple, and Nikola's eyes went wide before an explosion of electricity threw him back against the wall. Lila rushed to him. Nikola curled up in a ball on the floor, shaking. Lila knelt by his side, cupping his cheek. "Nikola? Nikola, talk to me."

Nikola only shook more, and tried to curl further up.

"No, no, I've already lost one man I love, I won't lose another. Nikola, I love you. Please, please talk to me." Lila pleaded. Lila tried not to cry, as she wrapped her arms around him. After a while, Nikola relaxed and stopped shaking. But the question which came after his recovery frightened her.

"Who am I?"

*.*

Lila and Nikola sat down on the edge of the bed. "Nikola..." She began.

"Is that my name?" Nikola asked, wide eyed and innocent.

Lila sighed. "I'm going to tell you everything. You have to believe me, no matter how strange it sounds."

Nikola nodded.

"Your name is Nikola Tesla. You're on of the greatest inventors of time. You're also a vampire, and, hard to explain, you're also electric. You have a huge ego, and in your spare time you're either reading, building things, theorizing, or trying to revive vampires." Lila said.

Nikola stared at her for quite a while. Lila didn't blame him for it. "Another organization, the Cabal, is after us."

Nikola put his head in his hands. "And... us?"

Lila looked away. "Complicated. We're in a relationship." Lila felt Nikola's gaze on her, but instead of looking at him, she said, "I'm going to go back to the lab. I'll see if there's anything I can do. Um, there are some books you can read here until I get back."

*.*

Lila stomped back into the room. _Failure._ How was she supposed to figure out his genius device, after all? Nikola sat where she'd left him, reading. The only problem was, he was reading one of her books - a book she wasn't really supposed to have. He was reading his own autobiography. "Now there's something you don't see every day," Lila muttered.

Nikola put the book down. "Hey."

"Hey. How are you doing?" Lila asked.

"Good, considering." He said.

Lila smiled. Without a thought, she began to slide her top off. With a start, she realized maybe she should change in the bathroom, and sleep in what used to be her room. When she looked around, Nikola was facing the wall. _Gentlemanly,_ Lila thought in surprise. Lila slipped on a nightdress. "Um, sorry about that," Lila muttered, walking quickly to her room.

*.*

In the middle of the night, Lila walked into Nikola. "Uh, sorry."

Nikola cleared his throat. "No, um, I'm sorry."

Lila looked around. She couldn't see a thing. She fumbled for a light switch. Once she found it, it didn't help. "Sorry, I was going down to the lab again."

"Right. Um, this is yours, isn't it?" Nikola offered her the autobiography.

"Well, yes." Lila looked in his eyes. "This isn't the first time you've seen me like this, you know." In fact, he had seen her wearing much less than a nightdress.

Nikola cleared his throat. "It kind of is for me, at the moment."

Lila leaned forward after a moment of hesitation, kissing him and running her hands along his bare chest. Nikola's fingers pulled her nightdress off. His hands gliding over her were shaky and tentatuve, as if he thought she might pull away at any moment. Lila flicked the light switch off as they backed into the bedroom. Lila reached for the bed, and suddenly they both fell into it. In the pitch black, Lila felt Nikola slide onto her.

His hands ran up her, sending shivers through her. Nikola's touches weren't shaky anymore, but gentle and soft. Lila couldn't see anything, but she could feel him. Lila kissed his chest, and moaned as he kissed her back. He was panting hard against her, and Lila gasped for air, certain he could feel her heartbeat.


	36. Control

Control

Lila blinked her eyes open. Seeing Nikola next to her, she cuddled closer and closed her eyes again. But the memories of yesterday slowly came back, and Lila had to open her eyes, despite how warm and comfortable she felt. Nikola didn't help her resolve by beginning to give her a massage.

Lila leaned up and away from his hands, giving him a quick kiss before getting out of bed.

Nikola called her back. "Lila?"

"I'm going back to the lab," Lila explained. "Do you want to come with? It might jog some memories."

"Lila." Nikola took a deep breath. "I can't remember anything before this, but we weren't happy, were we?"

Lila looked away like he'd hit her. "Your whole life, you've loved another woman."

"No." Nikola stood up, and stepped toward her, enfolding her in his arms. "I love you. I can't remember anyone but you. We can make this work, Lila, I believe we can." His voice and words were so sincere they hurt.

"No." Lila pushed away, trying to find her clothes.

"Why?" She didn't think she remembered him sounding so distressed.

"Because you're not who you're supposed to be! You don't know who you are, really, or even who I really am. Whatever you feel for me isn't real!" Lila stormed out of the room, having thrown on her nightdress, she looked back. Nikola was slipping his jeans on. Lila saw a tear slipd down his face. Still stand in the doorway, she spun around, covering her face with her hands. The first time she'd seen him cry. _He doesn't understand any of this._ Lila walked back into the room. "Nikola... I'm sorry."

Nikola stood up, his shirt still in his hands.

"I'm sorry," Lila said again. Lila stared at the floor.

"If I don't know who you really are, why was your name the only thing I remembered?" Nikola was crying openly, now.

Lila began to cry as well. "Niko... I never let myself believe anyone loved me before, because I was afraid I would be hurt. The first, the only person apart from you I've ever loved, he died in front of me." Lila wrung her hands.

Nikola's hands came onto her shoulders, and he kissed her. LIla didn't ever want to let go of him. This kiss felt like he was penetrating every inch of her. Finally, they broke apart for air. It felt like they'd been kissing for hours - and still, she wanted more. Lila growled, pulling his jeans off again. Nikola picked her up, carring her to the bed. Lila pulled him onto her, frantic with the want for him. She let him completely take her over, take control of her. _He loves me. He loves me._ Her heart pounded. If having him love her, if this intimacy broke her heart a hundred times over, it was worth it.

*.*

Lila and Nikola stood in the lab. "Okay, maybe if we..." Lila trailed off, staring at the device. "I don't know."

Nikola was strangely silent. Then, "Lila..." Lila spun around. Something in his voice was very, very wrong.

Nikola gripped the door frame, knuckles white. His face twisted in pain. He could hear her heart beating, hear the blood pulsing through her veins. "What's happening?" He yelled in pain as his fingernails shot out.

"Oh God. You're transforming. Your medication, you haven't taken it." Lila wondered how she could have forgotten. Desperately, she tried to remember where it was.

"Go," Nikola's voice was low. His eyes began turning black, from the blue she loved.

"No." Lila shook her head. "I'm going to find your medication, you're going to be fine."

Nikolagrowled and lunged towards her, pinning her to the wall. He leaned towards her neck, ready to bite into her.

Lila whimpered, ready for the crushing pain she knew could come. It didn't.

In Nikola's mind, the terror on her face brought everything back in one startling flash. "Go," Nikola begged. "I'm not safe anymore. Go."

He was back, she knew. "No. I love you." Lila wrapped her arms around him.

"Lila, I can't control it!" He pleaded.

But slowly, he began to go back to normal. Nikola breathed out steadily, and wrapped his arms around her.


	37. Best Day

**AN - A long for you. Enjoy. :) I think you'll like this one, guys!**

Best Day

Nikola sat in an armchair, tapping his fingers. Lila eventually turned around. "Yes?"

He made a point of looking her up and down a few times before answering. "I want to forget all of this. Let me take you out somewhere." Nikola said.

"My, my, Nikola, are you asking me out on a date?" Lila asked in mock surprise.

"I believe I might just be." He smiled. "Somewhere fun."

Lila was suddenly suspicious. "Where?"

"An amusement park." He grinned.

*.*

Lila sat in the car, staring at the snowy parking lot. "Nikola, can I drive?"

"No." He said. "I'm driving."

"Nikola, you're a terrible driver." Lila said anxiously.

"Oh really?" Nikola jerked the steering wheel unexpectedly, making Lila shriek.

"Niko! Don't!" Lila scolded.

He grinned. "Don't you love speeding?" Nikola asked.

"You are not speeding in my car," she said sternly.

"You do it all the time." Nikola began much too fast. "And the police never pull you over, why is that, my dear Lila?" Nikola asked.

Lila groaned. "One of them... likes me."

Nikola snorted. Lila's track record wasn't quite as clean as it had been. In fact, from everything Lila said and did, it pretty much screamed 'dirty' to Nikola. As if to prove his point, Lila leaned over to get something out of her bag. She looked up at him. "If you keep staring at my chest, you'll crash the car.

Nikola groaned, and kept driving, eyes on the road.

*.*

They got there at 11 o'clock. Nikola said, "Ground rules. No boring tides. No rides that get me wet. It's freezing. No house of horror-type rides. And if we go on roller coasters, you have to scream."

Lila frowned. "What, to drown out your screaming?"

Nikola scowled. "Rules of amusement parks. the girl has to scream."

Lila sighed. "I'm not going to scream."

Nikola sighed. "If you insist. So, what first?"

Lila looked around, then pointed. "That one."

They walked into a suspiciously short line, and got into their seats. Slowly, the row of seats began to rise. Lila looked nervously at Nikola for a moment. He raised an eyebrow, as if saying, _You know you want to scream.__  
_

Lila rolled her eyes, as they reached the top, they dropped down. Frigid air rushed past their faces. Lila grinned, but held Nikola's hand tightly. Nikola gripped her hand back. They went up, down, so fast Lila couldn't keep track of him. When they got off the ride, they both laughed for a long time. "Okay, how about something else?" Nikola said dizzily.

"I didn't hear you screaming," Lila laughed. "Okay. What about that."

Nikola grinned. "You get your wish." They walked towards the ride. Lila and Nikola put their safety harnesses down, and slowly they felt the floor sink away from under their feet. In a moment, they were soaring up, spinning. Nikola was sure he could touch the trees if he really tried. Too soon, it ended and they came back to the ground.

"Whoa," Lila said.

"Definitely." Nikola said. "Again?"

She grinned. "Definitely."

After the second time, they wandered away to find another ride. Nikola stopped at her a rollercoaster. "You're so going to scream," he said.

Lila rolled her eyes. "You'll scream louder."

"If you say so. Let's go." They walked up the line, and waited for what seemed like hours. Finally they stepped into the roller coaster car. Nikola steered Lila into the first row of seats. Lila rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to scream."

"Okay." And the car started to move. Slowly, they went up a hill. And then descent started. They both flew out of their seats, but the moment of weightlessness only lasted for a short time before the car whipped around corners, down hills, and halted at the top of the hill. Lila frowned, and then screamed as they fell straight down. She grabbed for Nikola's hand, and it came around her shoulder. At the end of the rollercoaster, Nikola got off laughing. "You screamed."

Lila sighed. "Fair enough."

Nikola took one look at her exhilarated grin, and they got on again. And again, until they wandered off. They happened to walk by a 'house of horrors'. Nikola started to rant. "Let me guess. At the end, there's a cheesy vampire that pops out at you. Which isn't even like a vampire, because-"

Lila stopped him. "Nikola, it's an amusement park ride, not a documentary."

Nikola stopped. "I'm sorry, did you want to go on?"

"No! Ground rules!" Lila protested.

Nikola smirked. "They scare you, don't they?"

"No!" Lila insisted as they got in line. Nikola smirked again, but at least he kept his arm around her the whole time. Lila rode in silence, although she was strangely tense. Almost at the end, Nikola grinned. "See, it wasn't that bad."

"I'm not a little girl you have to comfort!" Lila insisted.

"Oh right, I forgot." Nikola smirked. "You're a big grown up that- Ah!" Nikola yelled and Lila screamed as a vampire jumped out.

"What was that?" Nikola said quickly, looking around.

"Uh... that was part of the ride... I hope..." Lila said, looking around in the pitch black.

After they got out, Nikola began to feel very foolish.

"Okay, now we're going on that." Lila pointed to a water ride.

"What? Why? Lila, it's snowy!" Nikola whined.

"We went on that ride, now I'm making you go on this one." Lila smirked.

Nikola came out soaked. Lila tried not to laugh as he glared at her. "Alright. You've had your fun. Now we're going on that one." He pointed.

"No, no. Those are scary." Lila said anxiously.

"You've never been on one, have you?" Nikola asked knowingly.

Lila was silent. She'd watched Tracey and her boyfriend go on them a thousand times. No one had ever asked her if she wanted to go. She took a deep breath. "Okay."

She climbed into her seat, and Nikola put her safety harness down. Slowly, it began to move and then she was flying everywhere, and she screamed. Nikola grinned next to her. It went upside down, but she didn't grab for his hand. She started to grin.

After they got off it, they went on again and again until it was dark. Nikola looked around. They were one of twenty or so people left. "Half an hour left." he said. "Where do you want to go?"

Lila looked at him. "Ferris wheel?"

He smiled. It was such a shy request, he couldn't refuse it. "Let's go."

The ride went slowly, and Lila on Nikola's lap. He smiled at her childlike grin as they went higher and higher. Lila cuddled back against him, letting his arms come around her. She turned around and kissed him. When the ride stopped, it was a surprise, because they'd lost track of time. Lila looked down, and then looked back. They were right at the top. When they finally came down to the bottom, Lila said, "Well, I've now officially made out with someone on a Ferris wheel for the first time."

Nikola laughed. "Me too."

The last ride they went on was a carousel. Nikola couldn't resist, and even though they weren't supposed to, Lila sat in front of Nikola on the horse. He held her on as the music started. She smiled at him.

*.*

They walked around the park. Snow was everywhere, it was well past midnight, and Lila held Nikola's hand until they stopped. "Look." Nikola said. The moon was right above them. Lila smiled. "Perfect."

"For what?" Nikola turned to her, grinning.

"This." She kissed him, and started to take his shirt off. She heard something about it being freezing, but he didn't seem to mind so much. They both fell in the snow, rolling over each other until Nikola pinned her to the ground. Lila shivered. "Hey!"

Nikola laughed. "Hypocrite."

"I didn't say I minded it being cold." Lila pulled him down into the snow with her. Lila gasped at the cold snow, but soon she forgot all about the cold. All she knew was she had just the best day of her life.


	38. Perfect

**AN - Mainly fluffyness. Perfect fluffyness. My favorite line from this one - 'That would be below my dignity.' :) Enjoy.**

Perfect

_A month later_

_Chapter 15, Flashback 2_

Lila stood up. "Niko?" Her heart pounded.

"Lila." he smiled.

Lila didn't know what to say, where to start. She turned away.

"What is it?" He set his lab coat down.

"I'm pregnant," she said softly.

"Oh God." Nikola immediately regretted his first words. He hugged her middle. "Lila, it's going to be okay."

"No," she sobbed. "It's not. This doesn't happen, people like us don't have kids. You're a vampire and I'm a... a..."

"Loving and caring person?" Nikola offered.

Lila hit him. Nikola gasped at the impact, and tasted blood in his mouth. He turned away for a moment until the pain was gone.

"Oh God... I'm sorry." Lila covered her mouth with her hands. "I can't do this." She was still crying.

Nikola worked his jaw for a moment. "I've been hit harder, believe me. Lila, listen to me. We can make this work."

She looked away bitterly. "Really? Said the vampire to the wreck."

"We have to make this work." His hand framed her face. "I love you."

Lila laughed. "You really think lying will make it better?"

Nikola's eyes narrowed. "You say you love me, you're unhappy because I don't love you back, but I feel something stronger for you than for anyone before you. You're so afraid of being hurt you won't really let anyone get close."

Lila sobbed. "You don't love me."

"Lila, I love-"

"You don't love me!" She screamed. She shrunk away from him.

Nikola circled his arms around her, despite her trying to shove him away. "Let me help," he begged.

Finally, she gave way to sobbing and hugged him. "Nikola, I've never been responsible for anyone, any life like this before. I'm scared."

"I know," Nikola whispered.

*.*

"What about a walk?" Nikola asked the next morning.

Lila cuddled next to him. "What? I have to move?"

Nikola smiled. "Not now."

"Good." She snuggled closer.

"Breakfast?" He asked then.

She nodded. "Niko, do we have any oranges?"

Nikola laughed. "Wasn't what I was expecting, but okay. Um, we have orange juice, for some reason. Do You want some of that?"

"Thanks," Lila said quietly.

Nikola looked at her. "Why do we have orange juice?"

"Um..." Lila thought for a moment. "Oh, our neighbour gave it to us. You know the sweet old lady who thinks we're the perfect example of young love?" Lila said.

Nikola sighed. "The one who gives me pointers on how to be a gentleman."

Lila laughed. "She's nice."

Nikola poured a glass of orange juice and put the kettle on. "She is... in the way that only an old lady can be."

Lila laughed. "Definitely."

Nikola asked, "Eggs and bacon?"

"Yes please," Lila said, getting out of bed.

"Don't get out of bed," Nikola said.

Lila smiled as he brought her food over. "You really are spoiling me."

He grinned. "You're loving it." He brought a cup of tea and toast over, sitting next to her. There was a knock on the door. Nikola frowned, and went to answer it. After about 20 minutes, he came back. "That was Margaret." He handed her a cupcake. "She brought this and when I told her you were pregnant she gave me plenty of pointers."

Lila laughed. "What did she say."

"She told me to spoil you as much as possible," Nikola kissed her on the forehead. "Want to walk?"

"Yeah, but my clothes are over there. Could you get them?" Lila asked innocently.

Nikola rolled his eyes and got her clothes. "Would you like me to undress you and put your clothes on as well?" He asked, winking.

Lila gave him a dirty look as she changed out of night dress.

"Why don't you just wear pajamas like a normal person?" Nikola asked as he put a shirt and jacket on.

Lila looked at him. "I don't see you wearing fluffy slippers and PJs."

"That would be below my dignity," Nikola yawned.

Lila laughed. "Let's go." She grabbed the cupcake and started walking arm in arm with him.

They walked down the stairs, across two streets, and into the park. They walked around it once, and sat down by the fountain. Lila ate her cupcake as they watched the water trickle down. Then, while NIkola leaned forward, she splashed water over his shirt.

"Hey!" He said indignantly. Nikola reached up and splashed water on her hair.

"Niko!" Lila squealed. "The water's cold!"

"Well," he said as he put his jacket on her. "You'll have to take a warm shower when we get back." Nikola raised his eyebrows.

Lila laughed, and leaned against him. "Perfect."


	39. Screams and Silence

**AN - :(**

Screams and Silence

_Two weeks later_

Every morning they walked to the park. They sat by the foutain, and watched the water run. Today was no different from the rest. Lila sat on NIkola's lap, ignoring the various look they got from passers-by. Nikola popped a strawberry in Lila's mouth.

"Mm," Lila said in surprise. There wasn't much else she could say with a strawberry in her mouth.

Biting into it, a moment later she turned to Nikola. "Strawberries?"

"Surprise picnic." He winked.

Lila grinned. "With sandwiches?"

"Why would I miss out on sandwiches?" He asked. "Yes, sandwiches. No picnic is complete without sandwiches, I've been told."

Lila smiled, sliding off his lap to get a sandwich. She said, "Different kinds of sandwich. You planned this, Nikola."

"Just in case you got a craving for a different sandwich," Nikola winked. "No, my sandwich is more manly."

"More manly." She eyed him dubiously.

"Definitely. Eat this first." He handed her a bowl full of small carrots.

Lila frowned. "Yes, Mom."

"I can't spoil you all the time, now can I?" Nikola asked.

A bowl full of carrots later, Nikola handed her a sandwich with strawberries and cream inside, grinning.

Lila laughed. "Your sandwich may be more manly, but mine is more tasty."

"Oh, really?" Nikola lunged, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

Lila laughed. "Niko! You have cream all over your chin!"

"Let me tell you a secret, you have cream on your lips." Nikola whispered.

"You'd better kiss me to get rid of it," she whispered.

He obliged, but pushed away when she tried to lick his chin. He was looking behind her. Lila looked, and saw a scandalized looking elderly couple behind them. She laughed. "Oops."

Nikola laughed too, and whiped the cream off his face.

"They're jealous," Lila whispered playfully.

"They're jealous," Lila whispered playfully.

"Definitely," he said.

They walked slowly back to the apartment, and in front of their door was a package. Lila frowned, and picked it up. Carefully, she slid the silver bow and warapping paper off. Inside, were a pair of cream baby slipers. The note said that they were from Margaret. "Oh, that was sweet of her." Lila grinned.

Nikola smiled, and they walked into the apartment.

*.*

_One hour later_

Nikola was downstairs, prepping the room for an electricity expirement. Lila was in another room in the labs, making sure everything was in place. After a while, he stood up, looking around. Everything was ready. Suddenly, he heard what he thought was a yell. He frowned. A beeping came from the computer. The perimeter alarms he'd set to detect Cabal agents had been tripped. "Damn it all," he growled. The Cabal had found them.

Lila shrieked as the man hit her from behind. She spun around. He had a gun in her face. Lila closed her eyes, utter helplessness floodingthrough her. "No," she whimpered. _I can't die. I can't die._

Suddenly, she knocked his gun out of his hand, but before she could dive for it, he'd hit her to the ground. And hit her again and again. Spasms of pain went through her, and it was absolutely uncontrollable, there was nothing she could do to save herself. There was nothing more terrifying. Lila screamed for him.

She screamed, and screamed again,and screamed even when he was finally by her side.

_Chapter 15, Flashback 3_

He carried her upstairs. Blood was everywhere. It soaked through her clothes, into his clothes. He lay her down on the bed. The screaming had given way to sobs. Uncontrollable, unrestrainable sobs. Nikola crawled over the bed to her. "Lila... I'm sorry." He circled his arms around her. "Sh. It'll be alright." He knew the words were a lie, but he kept talking, it seemed to calm her. Eventually, she stopped sobbing and drifted off into what he hoped was a dreamless sleep. It wasn't, and she woke screaming. "No... God no..." she sobbed. She was tired, so tired, and the screams and sobbing and pain never ended.

Nikola sighed softly, and started to take her clothes off as gently as possible. He took off his bloodsoaked shirt. Nikola drew a bath and laid her in it. She shivered, but didn't stop him as he washed the blood off. Nikola went to the sink, and splashed at the blood on his arms and chest. The water slowly ebbed out, and ikola dried her off with a towel, and put a nightdress on her. He carried her to the bed, then turned away from her and began to cry. It was all too much.


	40. Lost

Lost

Lila slept badly, waking screaming from almost every dream. Nikola himself did not need much sleep, and so he just watched her. For three nights, she woke up screaming. And crying, and it didn't stop until she went back to sleep. Then Nikola would breathe easier, hoping the pain had in some way lessened for her.

But for Lila, it simply didn't end. Her dreams were all horrifying, terrifying, bizarre images of graveyards and death. In the daytime, she stayed in bed and stared at anything in the room. She didn't alk, she didn't eat. Sometimes she would close her eyes, but she didn't sleep. She was too scared. Nikola took to simply sitting on the edge of the bed and reading during the day, in case she needed him. At night, she always need him beside her.

Nikola sighed, and glanced out out the window. It was almost evening. He turned to Lila. "Lila, eat something, please."

Lila shook her head.

Nikola sighed. "Please. You haven't eaten for three days."

Lila shook her head again.

"For me?"

Lila reluctantly ate the piece of toast Nikola handed her. Nikola contemplated what he should do next. "Do you want to get up?"

Lila sniffed. Nikola wasn't sure if that was an answer or not. "Do you want something else to eat?"

She shook her head.

Nikola stifled his frustration. "Do you want to go back to sleep?"

She shook her head quickly, swallowing.

"Alright..." Nikola sat down next to her. "I'll be here if you need me."

After a while, Nikola fell asleep. Nikola briefly considered waking her, but she needed as much rest as she could get and he decided against it. In her sleep, Lila tossed and turned. Nikola sighed, turned out the light, and got into bed, holding her close to him. In the dream, Lila walked closer.

_The world was a blur of black, white, and gray. Lila walked through the park. She sat by the fountain alone. the water sparkled as it arced through the air. Lila looked around, waiting. "Nikola?" she called._

_He hugged her from behind, making her jump. "Niko! I was waiting!"_

_He kissed the back of her neck. "This is all your fault."_

_"What?" Lila turned around. _

_NIkola growled, and the hands which had a moment ago embraced her, trapped her._

_"What do you mean?" Lila cried._

_Nikola's hands came around her throat, suffocating her. "It's all your fault."_

Lila woke screaming in the dark. Nikola blinked his eyes open. Lila struggled like a trapped animal. She tried to break free of the hands around her middle, which in a moment she knew would suffocate her.

"Lila, it's okay! It was just a dream!" Nikola yelped as she hit him. He grabbed for the lamp and switched the light on.

Lila blinked at the sudden light. She looked into his worried, caring face. Slowly, she began to cry.

"Sh, sh. It'll be alright." Nikola said softly. He grabbed a book from the shelf. He started reading Alice in Wonderland aloud. Lila closed her eyes, finally feeling safe and letting the words wash over her. Lila finally. "I need you with me."

He paused. "Always." Nikola kissed her forehead. "Always."

Lila drifted off to sleep again.

_She sat in the playground, on the swings. It was cold, and she shivered. Suddenly, the rest of the playground vanished and she was suspended on a swing set in dizzying blackness. In a flash, it had changed to a graveyard. Lila stepped off of the swingset. "Hello?" she called._

_For a moment, there was nothing but the gray headstones on green grass. She walked closer. A new grave was in front of her, with flowers before it. It was open, and empty, except for... inside was a tiny pair of slippers. A flicker of recognition went through her. "Oh God." She sank to her knees. "My baby," she sobbed. The playground came back, but the grave stayed. She was still on her knees, looking at the swings. A girl stepped off the swings. "Mommy?"_

_Lila cried harder. "My little girl."_

_"Mommy, I was lost for so long. Daddy found me."_

_Lila sobbed, and hugged the little girl._

*.*

Lila woke up to find Nikola was not behind her. She looked around. Lila got out of bed, and put on a coat. It was Nikola's jacket, but she didn't think he'd mind. She stuffed her feet into a pain of shoes, and walked downstairs.

As she'd expected, he was downstairs. In the lab, electricity crackling through the whole room. Lila leaned against the doorframe until he switched the device off. Lila was a somewhat pitiful sight, wearing a big coat and a thin night dress which ended mid thigh.

Nikola ran to her, hugging her. "Lila! Are you okay?"

She looked at him for a long time. "I don't know." She said. "Yes, I'm ready to start living again, but I think I'm still lost."

Nikola kissed her. "We both are lost."


	41. Save Me

**AN - Over 40 chapters! :) It shall be ending soon. ...sometimes I worry about myself when I write chapters like this...**

Save Me

Lila sat downstairs, watching him. She stared at the dead body. Another Cabal agent. She watched the syringe go in. Idly, she wondered if he knew she was watching. He turned around. Of course he knew. "Did you want something?"

She crossed her legs in her seat. "no."

Nikola frowned. "I'll stop if you want. I'll stop the expirements, everything."

Lila shook her head. "No." She stared at her denim skirt. "I respect what you do. It's fascinating, in a morbid way. And as for killing the Cabal agents, if you didn't kill them I would shoot them until they bleed to death." She gazed at him, and in one swift movement she had gotten up and crossed the room.

Nikola stared into her eyes. She wasn't the woman he knew anymore. But he still cared for her. He didn't really know if it was love or not.

Nikola's eyes flicked down from her eyes, and back up again. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and brought on of her legs around his. She head him moan softly as she pushed forward against him and started kissing him. Nikola caught hold of her hips and pulled her hard against him. Lila growled, her hands finding their way under his shirt. Nikola's fingers glided up her thighs, pulling her skirt up above her hips. Lila pushed his pants down, moaning as he pushed her against the wall.

*.*

Lila looked up at the ceiling. Sometimes Nikola slept in the bed down here when he was working late on a project. She rolled onto her side, still breathing hard. Nikola rolled her back next to him, kissing the back of her neck.

"Mm..." Lila rolled on top of him. "Now, where were we..."

*.*

Upstairs, Lila started to get angry, not with Nikola if she was honest with herself. She wasn't being honest. She couldn't even remember how it started. "Damn it, Nikola! I don't want a therapy session!"

"Well, what do you want?" Nikola said angrily. When she was silent, he continued. "Sex? Is that it? Is that all you want? Just a quick thrill against the wall so you can forget about the world?"

Lila growled. "What if that was what I wanted, huh? What if that was all I wanted? Would you even care?"

Nikola turned away. Lila walked closer.

Nikola looked into her eyes, then bent forward and crushed his lips to hers. He grabbed for her waist, pulling off her skirt and then her top and bra. Lila gasped in shock as he took his shirt and pants off, and shoved her against the wall.

Lila found herself on the floor with Nikola above her. "Was that what you wanted?" Nikola growled.

"What if it was?" She asked angrily, the anger letting her forget she was completely naked in what was actually a very embarrassing position.

Nikola sighed, getting off her and putting his clothes back on. "Then I suggest you find someone that doesn't care about you." He threw her clothes on to her.

Lila pulled her skirt and top on. When he looked at her, anger was still burning through both of them. Lila wanted to hit him. Having him do that to her hurt. But in a way, that had been the point. She wanted to hurt. "I hate you," she whispered, looking at the floor.

Nikola was silent.

"I'm leaving," she announced.

Nikola let the anger flow through him. How could she think he didn't care? How could she just leave, after everything? Nikola ran after her, into her old room. She was throwing things in her suitcase. Nikola stood in the doorway until she looked at him. Lila was crying, tears streaking down her face. Something in that calmed him. "Oh, Lila." His voice sounded hollow. She came running to him, beyond any sense of logic or reason.

"Save me," she whispered.

Nikola hugged her. "I'm never going to hurt you like that again."

She nodded against him. "Nikola, save me from myself."

He smiled sadly. "Always, darling." After a moment, he whispered, "Please don't leave."

She hugged him tightly. "I won't."

**AN - If you liked it, please review. Thanks. :)**


	42. Starlit Forever, I

**AN - Only one more chapter after this!**

_Chapter Two, Flashback Five_

Starlit Forever, Part One

She drove away swallowing hard. She had really done it. She had really left. Already, she missed him. She desperately wanted to turn the car around, and run into his arms.

_No._ There was no future there, only pain. Lila turned the car off, parking on a side street. She didn't know what to do. Lila let her forehead slump against the steering wheel. Without him, it seemed there was no future. Lila sobbed, tears falling into her lap and soaking into her jeans. As she stared down at her jeans. Blood had once soaked into her clothes like tears did now. Nikola wasn't here to wash it away, he he wasn't here to cradle her in his arms, he wasn't here to care for her. Even if it wasn't love... he had felt something. It took every ounce of strength she had not to throw the car door open and run to him, air burning through her lungs as she raced back. She needed him so much. It hurt more than having him slam her against the wall just to prove a point.

_You can go back. It's your choice._ Lila fought against herself, tears still streaming down her eyes. She wanted him, needed him. She needed him to hug her, to kiss her, be inside of her. She needed the feeling of having him completely in control of her, she needed everything about him.

She turned the key, and drove away, still crying.

*.*

_One year later - After Sleepers_

Lila sat in her apartment, watching the sky. She wished it wasn't 3 am, but she'd developed strange sleeping habits. Everyday, when she slept alone, when she woke up at 3 am alone, when she was at work and just stopped to think for a moment, she missed him. One year later, she still missed him. She couldn't let go of him. by now, he had probably found some other girl to fuck. Whether it was Helen Magnus or some other girl, it hurt more than she could ever bear.

Lila sighed, and pushed the cereal box away. She suspected she might fall over if she went to get the milk. Her legs shook as she tried not to cry. Lila was cold, if she was perfectly honest. And she missed the warmth of him next to her. She folded her hands in front of her and bent her head to the table. She wasn't hungry.

Lila jerked her head as the door swung open. Her eyes widened as he stepped through the door. She sat in complete silence, watching him take tentative steps toward her. "Lila?" he said. It was a question. _Am I welcome here? Can I come in? Do you want me here?_

She stood up, legs still shaking. For a moment, she was conscious of how little she was wearing, how see through her short nightdress was, how very messy her hair must be, how pale she must look. She looked at him. The feeling vanished. "Nikola!" She ran to him, forgetting about the last year without him, losing herself in his arms. He grinned. After everything, he'd been so afraid she wouldn't want to see him. He'd been afraid... everything would be different. But she was in his arms again, just like always. His hands caressed her shoulders. The white nightgown was thin, she must be cold. He hugged her tighter. She didn't resist, only snuggled closer.

They stayed like that until Lila looked up at him. "Why are you here?" But the question seemed to be, why weren't you here before? _Why didn't you stop me from leaving?_

Nikola sighed. "It's a long story."

"Sit down," she said, still not pulling away.

Nikola made for the chair, but Lila rolled her eyes and pushed him toward the bed. Nikola raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Lila sighed, and leaned on him. "Tell me what happened." Part of her dreaded what he might say. Was he only here because Helen didn't want him?

Nikola was silent for a moment. "A lot happened. I met Helen in Rome. Druitt punched me through the stomach."

Lila turned around in alarm.

"I'm fine now," Nikola said quickly. "We had to retrieve the source blood." He remembered how much he'd ached for Lila during his test, during the pain. "And then, I did it. I revived vampires. But, well, it went wrong, and..." He took a deep breath. "I got devamped. Now I'm nothing, just ordinary. Helen tried to undo it, but it didn't work." He felt a pang of guilt. Flirting with Helen had become a coping mechanism

"Nikola," Lila said slowly. "You will never be nothing, you will never be ordinary to me."

Nikola smiled sadly. "Thank you, Lila." He meant it. "Sweetheart, you've got to be cold."

She shivered, proving his point. "You'd better warm me up then," she grinned, pressing her lips to his. It was their first kiss since they'd left. Lila moaned as his tongue came between her lips. She'd missed him so much. She slid his shirt off, running her hands over his chest and back. Nikola pushed her gently back, his hands skimming over her exposed thighs, pushing her dress up. Lila slid his pants off. Nikola took her dress off, hands gliding everywhere. Lila's breath quickened as he came closer. Nikola kissed her, his kisses going lower than they should. Lila pulled him against her.

She moaned as he kissed up her neck. "Make love to me," she pleaded. Nikola smiled in the near darkness, and Lila gasped for air against him, heart racing beyond control. She hadn't realized how badly she needed him until now.

**AN - One more chapter. :0 Review.**


	43. Starlit Forever II

**AN - I wrote alternate endings for this chapter. PM me if ya want to see 'em!**

Starlit forever, Pt 2

Lila stretched, blinking. She wondered briefly where she was. She snuggled closer to Nikola. _Did I die and go to heaven?_ Lila wondered, puzzled. After a moment, she realized why every was white and the light was pleasantly diffused. They were both completely under the blankets. Lila laughed, suddenly giddy. Nikola hugged her. She stayed just where she was, warmth flooding through her. Her head rested on his chest, his arms came around her. Eventually, she pushed the blankets off so she could breathe better. Nikola grinned. "Lila, I don't think you've ever looked better."

Lila cocked her head. "How's that?"

"You're smiling," he smirked. "And you're completely naked in bed with me. And your hair is tangled in that adorable way."

Lila raised her eyebrows. "You're crazy, you really are."

Nikola laughed. "Mainly it was that you're smiling."

Lila smiled, and flopped onto his chest. "Mm..." 11 o'clock in the morning, they finally got up. Nikola insisted on making breakfast, and Lila took the oppurtunity to brush her hair, and get dressed, without him making any appropriate comments. She smiled to herself. She rather liked him making those comments. Just on queue, he asked, "Can I turn around?"

"No." She smiled, straightening the cream dress she'd just put on. She turned around. He was pouting in that loveable way.

"But you look sexy when you're only wearing your bra," he complained.

"Too bad." Lila rolled her eyes. Typical.

Nikola turned around. Lila crossed her arms. "I told you not to turn around."

He shrugged. "You're dressed anyway."

She scowled playfully. He grinned, setting a plate of food down.

"Nikola!" Lila frowned at him. "How am I possibly going to eat all of that?"

"You're not," he answered, taking a piece of bacon. Lila laughed. "After all, what's the fun in having two plates?" he asked.

Lila smiled. "None at all."

After they finished breakfast, they got up. "Do I have to tell you you look gorgeous?" Nikola asked.

"Yes," Lila took his arm.

"You look gorgeous," Nikola kissed her. "Show me the town?"

Lila nodded, and they walked out the door. It was sunny, but not particularly warm or cold. Nikola was dressed casually, which was unusal for him. Lila had only seen him not wearing a suit or lab coat three or four times.

They walked around town until 3 o'clock. Nikola looked around. "Hungry?"

"A little," Lila said. Nikola took her hand and they crossed the street. "Stay here," Nikola instructed. Lila shrugged. "Okay." After a few moments, he came back with two tubs of frozen yoghurt. Lila grinned, and they sat down on a bench next to a fountain. "Nikola, I don't believe we've ever had frozen yoghurt together before."

"There are too many things we've never done together," he decided. "Like next Christmas, I'm taking you iceskating. And for your birthday, I'm going to take you to Paris. Sometime, we're going to go to Oxford and go to the gardens."

Lila grinned. He was staying. He was really staying. "I'd like that."

"And these," he said giving her a bunch of roses, "are for you."

Lila squealed in a very girlish way. She grinned. "Thank you."

"Lila," he whispered in her ear. "Not now... Someday... Will you marry me?"

Lila went still, and then spun around and kissed him until the need for air overcame her. "Yes," she whispered.

Nikola grinned, and tucked a rose into her hair. "Lila, I believe his may be the best day of my life."

"Me too, but then again I've thought that before." Lila grinned.

"I guess you never know," he laughed.

It was 6 o'clock by the time they were walking back. Lila ran ahead of him. "Catch me!" She laughed, dashing along the sidewalk. Nikola laughed and began to run after her. But in a moment, the game turned to a horrifying, terrifying image burned in his mind forever. Lila dashed across a side street. A car desperately tried to stop in time, but it was going too fast. Lila stood frozen in shock in her cream dress as the screeched toward her.

Nikola was racing toward her, but he was too far away. Someone on the other side of the street pulled Lila away. The car's owner jumped out. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, are you okay?" Asked the woman who had saved Lila. Lila stuttered slightly, lying on the ground. "I-I'm fine."

Nikola raced to her side. Slowly, the other people left them alone, leaving them completely on their own on the darkening street. "Lila... I couldn't save you," Nikola's eyes were full of pain.

"Nikola, no. Please, no." Lila knew what was coming.

"I hate to, Lila. I swear I will find you again."

"No!" She sobbed. "I need you! I can't live without you." But he was gone. Lila walked home alone, crying, and stared up out the window from her bed. All she had was the hope that he would come back someday.

_Someday._

She watched the first star appear in the sky. _Someday._ That was what Nikola had said. _Someday he would come back. Someday he would marry her. _The hope was all she had. She didn't know what would come. But Nikola would keep the promise, someday.

THE END

_I had so much fun writing this fic. I had so much fun with Nikola and Lila. Thanks for everything, reviewers and readers. And please tell me what you thought of the whole thing. Thanks!_

_~Soaring on Black Skies_


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